The Past Is Only The Future With The Lights On
by xThatsNotMyNamex
Summary: Ilvermorny student, Athena Mayall, was invited to participate in a one-of-a-kind program sponsored by the British Ministry of Magic. She went for the 2018 Quidditch World Cup and a chance to see places she'd only read about in her beloved History of Magic books, but got more than she bargained for. Her determination and sense of adventure will take her places she's only dreamed of.
1. Baby, Come On

**Author's Note:** This is my first actual fanfiction. I've been reading them for years, and found myself scribbling notes to myself during some of my lectures. So here is the story that I'm putting together based on those notes. The title is based on lyrics from a song by +44. Please be open-minded. Constructive criticism is welcome. Enjoy.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the intellectual property associated with Harry Potter. Any references to other works are for humor only and I do not express ownership of those works.**

 **Chapter One - Baby, Come On**

Mind your own business, be respectful, take responsibility for your actions – lessons children are supposedly taught when they are young. Whatever class that was in, Athena Mayall wasn't paying attention. She tended to daydream, to create an endless web of scenarios about how her day would go, new methods to achieve her goals, and conversations with her heroes. Many of Athena's dreams ended with the abrupt realization reality did not share the mechanics of her mind.

When she wasn't living in an imaginary world, Athena was a rising seventh year at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Born and raised in a farm town in Massachusetts, she received the shock of a lifetime when a MACUSA employee showed up on her doorstep the morning of her eleventh birthday to tell her she was a witch, and that she would be accepted to Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry if she chose to pursue magical education.

She almost couldn't believe the strange man but remembered some of the odd things she was able to do. When she was younger, and she felt scared or angry, she could make herself "invisible" and hide in her favorite corner of her childhood home until she calmed down. The wizard explained that magical tend to show their first signs of magical ability in similar circumstances. Her parents thought it was a ruse until the wizard from MACUSA bewitched their coffee pot to sing opera.

She had a sister, Miriam, who was only a year older than Athena, and a brother, David, who was only eight when she discovered this part of herself. Miriam begged the wizard to tell her she could do magic and that she would also get to go to Ilvermorny, but sadly he could not grant her wish. Miriam has since come to terms with Athena's magic, and the two still love and support each other as sisters do.

No one else in Athena's family knew about her magic because they were no-majs (non-magical people), and the wizard from MACUSA said they had to keep it that way. Athena's parents always told people that she attended an exclusive boarding school in the Berkshires, and they never questioned it further.

In her first year, Athena was sorted into the Thunderbird house, the house of adventurers. It took courage and determination for a girl with a non-magical background to succeed at Ilvermorny, and she found happiness in her studies. History of Magic was easily her favorite class, and she made sure to take any electives in the subject offered by the school. Learning more about the magical world made it more real, and she took every opportunity there was to learn whether it was taking a new class or finding a new book to read, committing the stories of great witches and wizards to memory.

At the end of the last school year, Ilvermorny students were presented with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit England as guests of the British Minister of Magic and attend the 2018 Quidditch World Cup Final at the end of the summer. The program was developed at the British Ministry to foster international relationships among younger witches and wizards or some similar diplomatic nonsense like that. Interested students had to apply and be chosen to attend, and only six students would represent Ilvermorny in this program.

In the United States quidditch isn't as popular as quadpot, and Athena never understood why. Quidditch was a far superior sport, fast-paced, exciting, and more entertaining to watch by far. Athena had been the Keeper for the Thunderbird quidditch team since her second year and was affectionately called "the Wall" by her teammates. Nothing got by her, and if it did it was probably because she took a bludger to the face which happened more than she'd care to admit.

One of the favorites to take the Quidditch Cup this year was Mexico, and she had to be at that game to witness history. It was unlikely the American men's quidditch team would ever get close to a World Cup, so Athena supported their neighbors to the South, who happened to be much more talented at the sport.

Athena applied and was lucky to be one of the six students chosen to be a part of the British Ministry's program. The fortunate six were informed by letter in early July that they would spend the last week of August in England, attend the Quidditch World Cup Final scheduled for August 27th, and tour wizarding London and the Ministry of Magic before returning stateside for the start of term at Ilvermorny. The letter mentioned that an international portkey would be set up for August 26th and mentioned a Ministry official who would meet them upon their arrival in England, but that wasn't information Athena cared about in that moment. She was curious to see who else was picked.

The other five students joining her would be Benjamin Henry, a seventh year Wampus; John Turnbull, a sixth year and fellow Thunderbird; Jennifer Ewing, a fourth year Puckwudgie; Alvin McKinney, a fourth year Horned Serpent; and Kenzie Lumley, a third year Wampus. Athena recognized John as a fellow Thunderbird and a beater on her quidditch team and was glad she would have at least one friend on this adventure. She knew Ben from a few of her classes, but she did not recognize any of the younger students' names and hoped they wouldn't be too needy. As the oldest students, she and Ben would likely be responsible for the younger kids while they were away.

August 26 arrived faster than Athena expected, and she was finishing some last-minute packing. Grabbing her maple wand, 10 ¾" with a core of unicorn hair, from her nightstand she used the good old swish and flick to fill her suitcase with clothes and toiletries. She was seventeen and legally allowed to use magic outside of school, and thanked Morgana for her September birthday. Being able to use magic was extremely helpful, especially when Athena was running late…like now.

She ran over to the mirror hanging on the back of her door to check her appearance. She wore dark-wash jeans, a blue plaid shirt, and her beloved black Converse. She was 5'5" and you could tell she liked to eat. Athena wasn't fat, but she wasn't thin either, and her build helped her in quidditch. Looking at the mess of curly brown hair atop her head, she sighed and combed through the knots. Every time she brushed her curls she resembled a male lion, and her wild mane of hair expanded.

Making an effort to look presentable, she styled her hair into two Dutch braids, one on either side of her head. Her dark brown eyes were big and bright, but she didn't feel fully dressed until she applied eyeliner and mascara. Finally satisfied with her appearance, she closed her suitcase, shrunk it, and stuffed it into her pocket along with her wand. She glanced at the plain silver watch on her left wrist which read 3:43 PM. _Not bad_ , she thought, _I still have fifteen minutes before I need to be at the portkey._

Athena made sure to say goodbye to her parents and siblings before walking out the door. Opening the folded letter she received earlier that summer she looked for the location of their portkey. Boston. "Of course it would be in Boston," she grumbled. The Boston wizarding community might be considered more reckless than others. Secrecy is never a priority because both the magical folk and no-majs in the city were so pre-occupied with whatever else they are doing they almost never notice what's going on in nearly plain sight.

She concentrated on the address in the letter. _Destination, determination, deliberation_ , she repeated in her head, and turned with a 'pop.' Apparition wasn't pleasant, but it sure as hell was efficient. She made it to the alley located near the Boston Common where she and the other five students were supposed to meet. So far, the only other person there was Ben who was leaning against the side of a brick building casually.

"Athena," he greeted with a nod. Ben was an alright guy, tall, sandy blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a tanned skin tone that told her he spent most of his summer at a beach. If it weren't for his holier-than-thou attitude he might even be considered tolerable. Peeking out from behind Ben was a petite girl with white-blonde hair and dull brown eyes. Ben gestured in her direction, "this is Kenzie, she's a third year." The younger girl, Kenzie, gave Athena a half-wave and didn't make any eye contact.

"Any idea where the others are?" Athena asked Ben while her eyes scanned the alley for the remaining members of their delegation. Before Ben could answer, the two fourth years Jen and Alvin turned the corner from the street into the alley. She heard they were cousins and they certainly looked related with their straight dark hair, heavily freckled faces, and hazel eyes.

"At least we aren't last to arrive," the boy, Alvin, commented after counting only five people.

"Actually," Ben drawled, "Turnbull has been here for quite a while, he's just across the street no-maj watching in the Common."

Athena looked in the direction Ben indicated and sure enough there was John, a brunette, broad-shouldered boy who might as well have been the dictionary definition of all-American. She called out a nickname she gave him hist first year on the quidditch team, "oh Johnny-boy!"

His ears perked up and he whipped his head around to find the source of the noise. When his sapphire blue eyes met hers, he gave her a toothy smile and stood up grabbing the backpack beside him. In true Boston tradition, John weaved through oncoming traffic to cross the street and join his schoolmates in the alley.

"John, what the hell?!" Athena chastised him, "you could've been hit, dumbass!" He shrugged and waved his hand at her noncommittally and explained, "when the Wall calls, you answer." That wasn't fair. John knew how much she loved that nickname and saw that he was using it to pacify her.

With a deep sigh she opened her arms and rolled her eyes at the handsome younger boy saying, "well come here, you big idiot." John was much taller than Athena and lifted her off her feet in a bone-crushing hug.

"Not that that reunion wasn't touching and all," Ben said dryly, "but our portkey is scheduled to leave in a minute, so if you two are finished get your asses over here."

Athena rolled her eyes once more and walked over to where Ben was standing over a raggedy teddy bear. She assumed that was the portkey and looked to the five students who had formed a circle around the beat up stuffed toy. "Well," Athena said looking up at them, "grab the damn thing and hang on tight. Next stop: England." She felt a sudden pull at her navel and they were off to begin their adventure.

* * *

 **If you made it this far, I must have done something right...or something horribly horribly wrong...**

 **-xThatsNotMyNamex**


	2. I've Just Seen A Face

**A/N**

: If you've made it here, thank you and welcome back. To provide some context: I'm basing the Quidditch World Cup on the current FIFA World Cup and I'm (obviously) rooting for Mexico. Any soccer/football fan knows the US men's team is shit and the women's team is the better team from this country by far. Sometimes I think I've explained something, when really, I've only explained it to myself in my head so if something looks like it's coming from out of left field, please point it out and I'd be happy to elaborate and/or fix that portion of the story. Finally, the characters I've listed for this story will appear eventually. They just aren't featured in the beginning of this story. Th-th-th-that's all folks!

Side note-I uploaded this from my phone so I apologize for any formatting weirdness.

 **Chapter 2- I've Just Seen A Face**

The pulling sensation ceased and the world began spinning in a blur of dark colors. With a thud, Athena landed hard on her feet. Travelling by portkey was worse than apparition if you didn't have any practice with it, that much was evident when she saw the younger students lying flat on their backs. Extending a hand to the youngest, Kenzie, Athena yanked the small girl to her feet and gave her a half-smile.

"We better work on that, little Wampus," Athena commented. She chuckled a bit when the younger girl's cheeks tinged pink.

It was dark outside, and Athena remembered the significant time difference between Britain and the U.S. She wondered what time it was. Eleven? Midnight? Looking around, she noticed that the group had landed on a hill overlooking what looked like an ocean of camping equipment. Tents and small campfires covered the area in the valley below, peppering the dark night scene with flickers of light. Drawing her wand from the pocket of her jeans, Athena cast Lumos to provide a little light for her and her classmates. Ben, also seventeen and able to use magic outside of school followed suit, bathing their small group in a dull glow.

"Mr. Weasley, they're here!" Cried a nasally feminine voice from the darkness around them. Climbing up the hill towards the six teens was a girl who looked about Athena's age. As she got closer Athena could make out her willowy limbs propelling her closer to the group, and waist-length strawberry blonde hair flowed behind her. She wore baby blue robes that were nearly identical to the color of her small eyes, and on the color of those robes, a gold pin of the letter "M." She assumed it was the symbol for the British Ministry of Magic.

Behind her, huffing and puffing his way towards the group, was a middle-aged man in navy robes who also sported the gold "M" pin. When he reached the teens, Athena could see the man had red hair with streaks of grey running through it, and a deep scowl on his freckled face. He held up his left hand as if to say he needed a moment to catch his breath. A moment passed and Athena shared a look with John who came to stand beside her.

Imitating the older man in front of them, he began mimicking heavy breathing placing a hand on his chest. Athena covered her mouth with a hand to prevent her from laughing out loud, while Alvin, who'd been watching the interaction let out a snort. The once-ginger man snapped his head up at the sound looking for a culprit. His watery green eyes scanned the group of Americans, but when they landed on Athena he let out a strangled sound, like a mix between a cough and a gasp. He stared at her with some kind of recognition and surprise, and quickly looked away to compose himself.

That was weird, Athena thought. Almost as if he heard what she was thinking, John leaned down to whisper in her ear, "do you know him or something?" Furrowing her eyebrows, she thought about it for a second. Did she know the strange British man? What had the girl called him? Wesley? Wassel? She couldn't remember the name.

Shaking her head, Athena then turned her attention to the odd individual who began to speak. "Welcome, Ilvermorny students" he greeted them, "my name is Percy Weasley, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic. This is Destiny Campbell, my personal assistant who will be taking care of you during your stay as the Minister's guests."

He puffed his chest out continuing," my position leaves me extremely busy so I will leave you in her capable hands. We hope your experience is enjoyable." At the conclusion of his spiel, he apparated away, leaving the group with Destiny.

Athena was already annoyed by this guy. His speech was rehearsed and emotionless, even robotic. Also, after that weird look he gave her initially, he refused to make eye contact with her. She thought hard when she heard his name for the second time: Weasley. Where had she heard that name before? Unable to recall the information, she followed the now moving group of students toward the sea of tents. Maybe she would figure it out later that night.

She did not figure it out later that night. When they arrived at their tents Destiny divided them into groups. The boys would share the tent on the left, and the girls and Destiny would share the tent on the right. Once they settled in for the evening, the girls began sharing stories from school. Athena learned Destiny only graduated from Hogwarts the previous year, she was a Ravenclaw, a prefect (whatever that was), and one day wanted to be Minister of Magic, herself.

Hogwarts, Athena thought dreamily. She remembered the first time she heard about the famous school in Professor Bartlett's European History of Magic Class in her fourth year. Since then she read Hogwarts: A History at least ten times and did research of her own to learn about the ancient institution. She'd always imagined that she would end up in the house called Slytherin if she ever went there. The house was most similar to Thunderbird at Ilvermorny, but in her research she found that many of those sorted into Slytherin believed in blood purity nonsense. Her no-maj heritage would be severely unwelcome there.

When the girls decided they had enough story telling for the evening they climbed into the bunks arranged in the far-right corner of the tent and settled in. Laying there in the darkness, Athena was imagining how the rest of her trip would go. Mexico had made it to the final, as she predicted they would, and were set to face Scotland for the World Cup tomorrow. Excited for the game, she imagined what it would be like watching such talented quidditch players from the Minister of Magic's personal box. She wondered how she was so lucky to be able to experience this and closed her eyes, willing her mind to dream of tomorrow's quidditch match.

The next day, the six teens were sitting outside of their tents like many of the witches and wizards surrounding them. It was still mid-morning and the game didn't start until later that evening. They took turns asking Destiny questions about some of the strange British slang they had been hearing.

"So, tell me again, what do you call no-majs again?" Jen asked in disbelief. Muggles. That's what Destiny called them. The first time she said it, Alvin must have thought she sneezed and was quick to offer her a tissue. They spent most of the day comparing the wizarding communities of England and America, exchanging questions and indulging each other's curiosity.

As time went on and their conversation turned to today's game – sorry, the match- and who everyone would be supporting, Athena jumped in enthusiastically. Sporting the emerald green jersey of Mexico, her eyes glazed over as she spoke of her favorite athletes in admiration. Ben and Alvin who had no loyalties in this World Cup decided to cheer for Scotland, their colors being light blue and maroon, extremely similar to the color of Ilvermorny's uniforms of blue and cranberry. Not much effort was required on their part.

Weirdly, Jen was wearing the navy uniform of the American quidditch team. Despite how terrible they were, she explained it felt wrong to support anyone besides her home nation. Kenzie seemed uninterested in quidditch altogether, a real shame considering she was attending the most important quidditch event of the year. It was then she noticed John had snuck away from their group. She knew she saw him earlier that day wearing the same green jersey she wore but did not see where he snuck off to.

Deciding it was time to investigate, she excused herself from the group and took off into the sea of tents. Weaving through masses of wizards wearing green or blue and maroon, she found herself in a thick crowd of quidditch fans with no end in sight.

It wasn't till Athena heard John's familiar drawl growling, "and I'm just saying that the variations in quaffle design make a huge difference in the outcome of a game!" Peering through the crowd, she saw her tall friend looking down at a boy who couldn't have been older than thirteen, fourteen maybe. She walked in the direction of the debating pair. When she got closer, Athena saw that the younger boy was short, probably Athena's height, wearing the maroon and blue jersey of the Scottish quidditch team. He had messy black hair and hazel eyes which were currently narrowed in her friend's direction.

She cleared her throat to announce her presence, and both boys looked at her. John smiled triumphantly announcing, "yes! Athena, you'll agree with me! Tell James here how important quaffle design is as a keeper. We were just discussing how the slight differences in weight and shape by manufacturer is critical in a game."

Athena just blinked at him for a solid ten seconds. Sighing she responded, "I didn't get up from one debate to join another, Johnny-boy." Turning to the younger boy she held out her right hand, introducing herself, "hi there, my name is Athena, this big idiot hasn't been harassing you, has he?"

The boy gave her an amused smile and shook her hand. "Another American?" he joked, "where are all of you coming from? I'm James, nice to meet you." She smiled at the sassy remark, and looked at John noting, "hey, I like this kid."

Both boys laughed, mirroring her smile. Just then a deep voice rang out, "JAMSIE, WHERE ARE YOUUUU?" A light pink rose to James' cheeks as he lifted an arm into the air. Then he called back, "Over here, Teddy!"

Athena looked over her shoulder to see who the boy she just met was calling to, then she saw him. He had to be the most attractive man she'd ever laid eyes on. Well over six feet tall and muscular, the smiling man with electric blue hair jogged over to them. He was wearing the same emerald green jersey she and John had, and had a red scarf slung around his shoulders Athena felt a lump rise in her throat and her heart begin pounding so hard she felt it in her ears. John noticed the situation she was in, and chose this moment to tease her muttering, "stare a little harder, why don't you?"

Her response to elbow John in the ribs just as the handsome boy, Teddy, James called him stopped in front of them. Addressing the younger boy Teddy said, "James, you can't just run off like that. Your dad told me to keep an eye on you, and I can't exactly do that if you sneak off."

The pink in James' cheeks grew redder as he muttered a half-assed apology.

James then gestured towards John and Athena explaining, "but Teddy, I made some new friends from America, we were just talking about quidditch!" As if noticing them for the first time, Teddy looked their way. Seeing their jerseys, the blue-haired boy grinned saying, "at least they have better taste than you, godbrother."

Athena giggled nervously at the compliment, and Teddy's eyes looked her over. He smiled at her with twinkling light brown eyes and gave a dramatic bow. "How rude of me," Teddy announced, and looked back up to Athena's face, "I haven't introduced myself. Ted Lupin, Teddy, if you like, pleasure to make your acquaintance." He grabbed Athena's hand and laid a small kiss to the back of her hand, while her cheeks burned bright red.

John coughed in annoyance and stuck his hand out in front of Athena. "I'm John," he grunted, "that's Athena, nice to meet you, but we should be getting back to our group soon." Teddy looked at John with an amused expression and shook his hand. Dropping it shortly after, Teddy looked at Athena again.

"I hope to see you again soon, Ms. Athena. Perhaps at the match?" He wondered hopefully. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and smiled at the handsome boy.

"Sure thing," she managed to get out just before John started leading her away by the hand. Before they could get out of earshot she heard James say, "Victoire won't like when I tell her about that," followed by a thump and a cry of pain.

Her face fell and her heart sank. Of course a guy like him already had a girlfriend. What was she expecting to happen anyway? She was only in England for a week, and she wasn't a character in a romantic comedy. She trailed behind John disappointed. He looked down to his friend and sighed noting, "I knew that guy was some kind of jerk. The kid's comment just confirmed it for me. I'm sorry, Athena." She hated the way he was looking at her with pity in his eyes. She didn't want his pity.

Athena shrugged it off and continued walking with John back towards their tents. She wasn't going to let an, admittedly good-looking, guy get in the way of her World Cup. She didn't come to England to meet a man, she came for the game, and no one was going to ruin that for her. Not even Teddy Lupin, the handsome boy with the blue hair.


	3. Little Death

A/N: Thanks for the favorites and follows! I'm glad someone is able to enjoy this along with me! Once again, I uploaded this from my phone. Apologies for formatting messes.

 **Chapter 3 – Little Death**

The hours following Athena and John's return to their campsite were uneventful, until Destiny announced it was time to head to the stadium. Distributing a ticket to each of the Ilvermorny delegates, she explained that their seats were located in the Minister's box at the top of the stadium. They walked together through the neighboring forest for a few minutes before arriving at a massive steel structure. Crowds of witches and wizards clad in quidditch apparel entered the massive building excitedly.

As their group reached the entrance an older witch asked to see their tickets, upon presenting them the woman smiled and directed them to follow the stairs until there were no more to climb. Athena groaned, she knew by the time they finished climbing those stairs she would be heaving, red-faced, and sweaty. That wasn't the look she wanted to have when she met the Minister.

Surprisingly, the climb was not as bad as she expected it to be. They were about to enter the Minister's box when Destiny stopped to arrange them by class year, oldest to youngest. That made her and Ben the leaders of their little group. Burying her nerves, she followed Destiny into the room where three rows of seats were arranged high above the quidditch field (though Destiny said it was called a pitch).

As they filed in, Athena was able to look around the room and see that it was buzzing with people. She noticed the snobbish man Destiny worked for was on the far side of the room talking heatedly with two men that had their backs to her. One was tall and lanky, with ginger hair that reminded her of Percy Weasley's. Could they be related? The other was slightly shorter and had cropped black hair that appeared to be pointing in every direction as if a hand had run through it many times that day.

Her staring was interrupted when Destiny came into view walking alongside an older wizard with dark skin and the brightest smile she had ever seen. He was wearing royal purple robes that had gold accents woven through them. Destiny introduced the man as the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Minister Shacklebolt shook each student's hand as they were introduced by Destiny. He welcomed them all and invited them to socialize until the match started.

"Hey Athena! John! Over here!" A voice cried out in an English accent that she heard earlier that day. She swallowed the lump of embarrassment that arose when she saw Teddy and James, who was waving his arms wildly just to their left. She walked over and greeted the English boys, careful not to look Teddy in the eyes.

They talked quidditch for a few minutes until John joined them and grabbed Athena by the shoulders. Excitedly he shook her shoulders and told her that Harry Potter, the Harry Potter, was there as a guest of the Minister! She looked around frantically. Could it be that one of her heroes was really in the same room as her?

She heard Teddy laugh behind her, and she looked at the tall boy with a dark expression.

"What?" she snapped at him.

He looked at her thoughtfully, before leaning down to whisper, "I could introduce you to him, you know. He's my godfather and Jamsies' dad." Athena gave Teddy a look that screamed 'you must be joking.' Recognizing the look, he assured her that he was completely serious. Not waiting for her to say anything he elbowed James lightly to get his attention and jerked his head in Harry's direction.

Picking up on Teddy's hint, James nodded once and shouted, "OI, DAD!" No sooner had the words come out of James' mouth did the dark-haired man Athena stared at just minutes ago turn around.

Looking around for his son, the man's eyes landed on them and he stared back stunned, but he wasn't looking at his son, not even his godson. His eyes were locked on her. Athena noticed the odd expression and took a moment to analyze the older man's face. Emerald green eyes clouded with astonishment rested behind round spectacles, and she looked for the indication that meant Teddy wasn't lying and she found it clear as day on his forehead: a lightning bolt scar.

Harry's arm shot out to smack the red-head beside him, who turned to see what his friend had been staring at so intently. Athena saw how the red-head's eyes widened in fear, like he'd seen a ghost before turning back to Percy Weasley who was giving him an 'I told you so look.' This behavior was odd, and Athena probably should've questioned it more, but a more pressing piece of information crept into her brain.

 _WEASLEY_! Her brain shouted, _that's how you know that name_! Harry Potter's best friend was Ron Weasley and he married the famous Holyhead Harpy, Ginny Weasley! She knew that name was familiar, she read about the Weasley family in a book called Famous Wizards of the Twentieth Century and Their Achievements, for Professor Bartlett's Modern Wizarding History Class just last year!

She knew she had to meet the man, and before she knew it he was crossing the room towards her, not breaking the intense eye contact. When they were only a few feet apart he said, "you look like someone I knew a long time ago. Hello, I'm Harry Potter, my brother-in-law Percy was just telling me you're an Ilvermorny student?

Nodding dumbly, she reached for the wizard's outstretched hand to shake it. _That's it_ , she thought, _I'm dreaming_. She realized he must have been waiting for her to introduce herself because he looked at her expectantly.

 _Don't be weird, just don't be weird_ , she chanted in her head, but she noticed Harry burst into laughter.

"I said that out loud...didn't I?" She asked, embarrassment coloring her cheeks. The famous wizard politely replied, "afraid so, love."

"Great," she groaned, "I meet one of my heroes and act like an idiot. My name is Athena Mayall, by the way. I've studied and admired your career for a while now, and I have to say it's inspired me to pursue a career in magical justice. It truly is an honor to meet you, Mr. Potter."

Harry just smiled at her saying how he was glad someone who aspired to do what she wanted to do. Their conversation was interrupted by a loud announcement that swept across the giant stadium:

"LADIES, GENTLEMAN, AND CREATURES OF ALL KINDS BIENVENIDOS AND WELCOME TO THE 2018 QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP. PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS, BECAUSE HERE COME THE PLAYERS FOR THE NATIONAL TEAMS OF SCOTLAND AND MEXICOOOO."

Still stunned by her encounter with the famous wizard she barely noticed John lead her to a seat near their classmates. She barely noticed what happened during the match, and in her daze, she missed Mexico's seeker catch the golden snitch in a magnificent maneuver on the pitch below. Instead she was pre-occupied with the strange looks she had been receiving from Percy Weasley last night and today from his brother Ron and Harry Potter.

The reason that she resembled someone they knew from a long time ago didn't make much sense to her and didn't explain why they reacted so strongly to her before even meeting her. The next few days continued in a similar haziness, blurring together. The last time she felt so disconnected was when the MACUSA wizard showed up at her doorstep almost seven years ago to tell her she was a witch. She repeated the same questions to herself as she asked those many years ago: _Is this really happening? Am I dreaming?_

Only on the fourth day of their trip, did Athena snap out of the trance-like state she was in. Today, the Ilvermorny students would visit the Ministry of magic in London. Upon arrival, Destiny brought them through the large atrium to the reception area where they would receive visitor's badges. Most of the day, Destiny led them around several of the Ministry Departments answering their questions as they went.

Eventually, Destiny told the group they would be entering the Department of Mysteries on their way to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to meet a few aurors. She looked each teenager deeply in the eyes before slowly warning, "it is imperative that you remain with the group and do not get distracted while we are in the Department of Mysteries. We have witches and wizards working on some dangerous and experimental magic here at the Ministry, and no one wants to file a report if one of you gets hurt."

Soon they came to a dark hallway, lit ominously by blue torches. Along the corridor Destiny pointed to a few doors labeling them as courtrooms. Trailing at the very end of the group was Athena, she walked slowly wishing they could observe the Wizengamot in session.

Her ears pricked upon hearing muffled voiced coming from a plain wooden door on her left. With a quick look to her group that moved farther away from where she stood still looking at the door, she grasped the old brass knob, turning it slowly.

If she wanted to sneak a peek at wizard-court in session she would have to be quiet. Opening the door just enough she snuck into the room and closed the door quickly behind her. As soon as she looked around the room she noticed that she made a mistake, a very big mistake. The courtroom she was expecting to see was not there instead there were seven identical doors that lined the wall of the circular room before her.

Then the world began to spin. No, it wasn't the world, just the walls. When the doors finally came to a halt she turned around reaching for the door she had just entered. When she opened it, the dark hallway wasn't there, but a low gurgling noise like that of an underwater creature called out. Athena slammed that door shut and the room spun once more.

If only she listened to Destiny and stayed with the group, she wouldn't be stuck in this impossible room. She heard the same muffled voices coming from one of the doors on her left. At least if she found a Ministry employee they could lead her back to Destiny and the other Ilvermorny students. Pressing her ear close to each door she waited for the voices to speak again but couldn't hear anything, so she called out cautiously, "hello? Is anyone there?"

Then she heard it, the voices coming from the door in front of her. She didn't hesitate once she shoved the door open and running inside. Behind the door, Athena did not find her friends nor Ministry employees, but rather an empty, cavernous room carved out of stone. She let out a humorless laugh thinking, _well dumbass, you've stranded yourself up shit's creek without a paddle._

While trying to determine what her next move would be, the voices Athena had heard called out again. They weren't muffled anymore, but they still sounded like they were coming from far away. She looked around again to confirm she was alone in the large room. The only other thing in the room was an ominous archway made of stone on a raised platform in the center of the room. An opaque, practically translucent material flowed between the arch in the same way a window curtain would in a summer breeze.

Captivated by the strange structure, Athena unconsciously moved closer and faltered when she heard a voice which clearly came from the mysterious material say something: "Athena." Shaking her head in disbelief, she prayed to Morgana that she was hallucinating. She would have convinced herself if it didn't happen again, someone or something was calling out to her from the archway.

"Yes?" Athena ventured cautiously, "I'm here. Who's there?" She was now within feet of the rippling, fabric-like mist staring through it and seeing no one on the other side. The logical part of her brain warned her not to get too close, to turn back and try her luck once more in the spinning room, to do anything but what she was about to do. Athena ignored those thoughts as the same voice cried out desperately, "ATHENA...help...me..."

The distraught plea was enough for her to lunge forward, reaching out for that voice. She didn't recognize it but she could not ignore the feeling bubbling up inside her, urging her to answer this call and help this person. The magic within her tingled when she was only centimeters from the billowing shroud, and she knew this was the right thing to do. Finally, she stepped into the archway, and the last thing Athena felt was the sensation of falling before she died.


	4. Wake Me Up

A/N: I was on vacation, Mexico was knocked out by Brazil, and work has been a nightmare but I noticed more people followed this story while I was away. Enjoy this next one, and as I've said before if you have any questions I'd be glad to clarify anything

once again uploaded from my phone, so excuse any formatting goofs

 **Chapter 4: Wake Me Up**

Once, she might have been afraid of death, but actually it was quite comfortable. She felt calm, rested even, and relaxed into her consciousness like crawling beneath the fluffy blankets on a warm bed. Death felt much nicer than she was expecting, and it smelled like...cinnamon? No, no, no that's not right. It wasn't just cinnamon, that smell was harsher, and too familiar for Athena to forget: pepper-up potion.

Her previously peaceful state was disturbed by the hurricane of thoughts rushing through her brain. One memory was particularly vivid. Athena suffered several quidditch injuries during her years at Ilvermorny, and she became well-acquainted with the school's medi-wizard, Healer Benton, and his medical office.

After catching a particularly nasty bludger to the head in a game against the Horned Serpents, Athena was under concussion protocol. Healer Benton made her drink the sticky, spicy pepper-up potion for a full 48 hours to conduct observations and monitor the injury.

That particular experience made her recognize the smell instantly, but why would death smell like pepper-up potion? Was she in hell? Did the wizarding world even have a concept of hell? She decided it could be possible that she was in hell, at least until her eyes fluttered open. Then, all she felt was pain. This was most certainly hell.

From the blinding whiteness burning her eyes to the soreness she felt throughout her body, the overwhelming pain consumed her. She groaned and through her vision, still clouded by tears, she flinched when a green blur rushed towards her. What the hell is that? She thought frantically. As quickly as she could with arms that felt like they'd been trampled by hippogriffs, Athena rubbed her eyes to clear her vision.

She took her hands away and the blurry scene focused into what looked like a hospital room. Whatever she had done at the Department of Mysteries landed her in the hospital. She hoped this was the extent of the damage, and that red-headed ministry tyrant wouldn't get her in too much trouble when she returned to Ilvermorny. Her eyes caught the lime green once more, and she noticed they were robes. The witch wearing them had plain features, amber hair pulled back into a low bun, and large lavender cat-eye glasses that were too big for her face. She wasn't old but definitely older than Athena.

Athena attempted to ask the older woman what happened and why she was in a hospital, but all that escaped her mouth was a dry wheezing sound. The neon-clad witch finally turned her attention to Athena, grabbing an empty glass from the table beside the hospital bed and handing it to Athena. The witch pointed her wand at the glass, muttering auguamenti in a surprisingly deep voice. Athena guzzled the water, quenching a thirst she didn't know she had.

The witch refilled the glass once more whilst announcing " 'M Healer MacKenzie," in a distinctly Scottish accent. "Yer at St.Mungos, lass. Whatever ye've gotten yerself inta ruffled a couple Ministry feathers," she went on smiling and shaking her head in amusement. As if they'd been waiting for the Healer to say that, two wizards in navy robes burst into Athena's room.

The first was a short, stocky man with pasty skin, dirty blonde hair, and just above a deep grimace he sported a fluffy mustache of the same color as his hair. The other wizard was...the Minister? That couldn't be right. This man looked about twenty years younger than the one she met only a few days ago. Maybe this guy was his son.

Healer MacKenzie was not impressed by the intrusion. She narrowed her eyes at the men and made a noise of disapproval. "Tha' wasna necessary, you great brutes," she spat acidly. "She's only just woken up, give the lass a mo' before ye overwhelm her!"

"Urgent auror business, madam," Mr. Mustachio grumbled. "Very urgent. I'm afraid you'll need to leave while we ask your patient some questions."

Urgent auror business? What the Merlin's left testicle did she possibly do to get aurors involved?! They probably knew you got separated from Destiny and the group, she tried assuring herself. She had a terrible feeling spread like fire through her body and tried racking her brain to figure out what happened. While lost in her thoughts, Athena didn't see Healer MacKenzie leave (albeit reluctantly), nor did she hear Mr. Mustachio ask her something.

"Do. You. Speak. English?" Mr. Mustachio asked her slowly and deliberately, for what must have been the second time. She gave him a look of disbelief and couldn't stop the sarcastic response before it escaped her mouth, "yeah, actually I do. What about you? Sounds like you're having some trouble with it. Would French be better?"

The minister look-alike chuckled a little, which brought a sparkle to his eyes; the same sparkle Athena swore she saw the in the older man's eyes at the World Cup. Was it genetic perhaps? Mr. Mustachio sighed something that sounded like "American" and shook his head in frustration. He interrupted her thoughts once again, "I'm Auror John Macclesbee," and gesturing to the other wizard, "this is Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, please tell us your name and anything you may remember before waking up here."

Athena's eyes widened and focused on the dark-skinned wizard with the twinkling eyes. Was it possible that this man looked so familiar and had the same name as his father? It was odd, she supposed, but people are named after their parents all the time. After the mustcached-Macclesbee tapped his foot impatiently she began her tale: she was Athena Mayall, Ilvermorny student, visiting as part of the Ilvermorny delegation in the British Minister's special program, they went to the world cup, and recently had their tour of the Ministry where Athena was separated from her group.

The two men shared a meaningful look but said nothing to her. Instead, Macclesbee turned to his partner to whisper something furiously in his ear before leaving the room, navy robes billowing behind him. That left Athena alone with Auror Shacklebolt in complete silence. A few minutes had gone by and neither looked at each other.

This was getting annoying. Athena hated silence. She hated it in class when people refused to answer questions or participate in discussions, she hated it at parties when people were content to mill about without so much as a "hello" or "how are you", but what she hated most of all was when someone would not talk to her and she knew something was wrong. Clearing her throat uncomfortably, Athena launched into a longwinded rant:

"Excuse me, but what have I done exactly? Why am I here? No one has told me anything, you 'aurors' just barge in here and demand information, but give me none," but she paused in horror before continuing. "You've contacted MACUSA, haven't you? That's what Mr. Mustachio is doing right now! Shit, shit, shit, shit. They're going to expel me from Ilvermorny, they'll snap my wand – MY WAND! WHERE IS MY WAND?!" By that point Athena launched herself painfully from the hospital bed but her sore legs were too weak to support her for more than a few steps. Stumbling to the ground she collapsed into a puddle of tears.

While she sobbed the auror who witnessed the outburst came to her side. Extending an arm to help her up, Athena could see the sadness in his eyes. In a deep voice he consoled her, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Mayall, but we are just as confused as you are at the moment." He helped her settle back into the bed, tears still streaming down her face.

"What happened to me?" she asked in a small voice. She didn't want to let this man see her weakness anymore, but the uncertainty and confusion was weighing on her like a ton of bricks. The auror, still by her bedside took a deep breath before informing her that she was found in the Department of Mysteries, in an area where extremely experimental magic was taking place. She was wearing a Ministry visitor's badge, but there had been no record of her, nor any group visiting from America recently. The aurors were hoping she knew why she would be in such a spot. He assured her that her wand was safe and would be returned once their investigation showed that she wasn't a threat.

She laughed darkly. _A threat? Me?_ Apparently, this was serious. Whatever happened in that room...wait that room, she didn't mention that.

"Excuse me, Auror Shacklebolt, there may be one detail I forgot to mention." The man she addressed looked at her with interest, waiting for her to continue. Wiping her eyes and composing herself to the best of her ability, she told the man about the spinning room and the great stone archway, how a voice was calling out her name, and begged for her help. She told him that she believed she was dead until she realized she smelled the nasty pepper-up potion. He cracked a smile at that detail but listened intently until she completed the tale.

When she finished, the wizard appeared to be deep in thought when an idea came to mind. He drew his wand and closed his eyes, and in his booming voice said, " _expecto patronum_!" A silvery white mist burst from the tip of his wand in the shape of a bobcat? A lynx perhaps? The detail didn't matter much, because this was the first corporeal patronus Athena had ever seen outside of a textbook. She looked on in awe as the auror said something to the patronus and it took off, bounding through the wall in a puff of smoke.

He turned his attention back to Athena asking her if she knew what day it was. "August 30th, I think," at least it was when she had her tour.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, nor what time of day it was because there were no windows in her room. He nodded, but urged her to continue, "yes, and the year?" What in the hell kind of question was that? Did she hit her head or something. Without hesitating she said, "it's 2018, didn't I already tell you that? We were invited to the 2018 Quidditch World Cup by your minister, the last time you held one was..."

"-1994," he interrupted her a dark look crossing his face and shrouding his eyes.

She wasn't sure what that meant, but unfortunately, she didn't have too much time to think about what the auror might me thinking. The door to her room opened revealing an old wizard wit silvery-white hair and a long beard, periwinkle blue robes with silver-stitched stars, and bright blue eyes behind half-moon glasses. The man was so familiar to her, she had seen his face so many times in her History of Magic books. He had his own chapter in Hogwarts: A History Volume 2. Albus Dumbledore was in her room.

She burst into laughter. This explained so much, she was still dreaming! Man, she must've hit her head wicked hard to have a dream like this. The auror crossed the room to greet the older wizard and the two began talking, presumably about her, but this was a dream so they could be talking about the Great Goblin Rebellion of 1458 for all she knew. Wiping away her tears, this time from laughter, she caught her breath and looked towards the famous wizard.

He smiled at her strangely, like he knew what she was thinking and his eyes sparkled humorously. With a light chuckle he walked to her bedside and sat gently by the foot of the bed. Athena was impressed her subconscious could compose an image like this. Everything was so detailed, from Dumbledore's wrinkled face to his silver, well-worn slippers he was perfect. Just as she had seen him in portraits.

While she continued analyzing the older wizard he spoke quietly, "I assure you Ms. Mayall, this is no dream." Not believing the man she burst into another fit of laughter. When the look on his face became more serious than entertained, she quieted herself explaining the impossibility of everything: Dumbledore couldn't be here because he was dead long before she was born, Shacklebolt looked so much like his father who she'd met only a few days ago, and she was still herself. The only logical explanation was that this was a dream.

"You're Albus Dumbledore, for Morgana's sake!" She cried out, "how else could you be here?!" Dumbledore looked at Athena thoughtfully before asking her to go over the details of the previous week once more, before he would offer her an explanation. What did she have to lose in this dream-world? Nothing, so she went through everything from leaving Boston, to meeting Percy Weasley, attending the game between Mexico and Scotland, and finished with her tour of the Ministry.

Dumbledore held her gaze throughout the telling, never wavering once. When she finished he nodded, and for the second time that day she was asked if she knew what the date was.

"August 30, 2018," she mumbled annoyed, maybe these British wizards didn't own calendars or her dreams were just becoming intensely detailed. Dumbledore took in the information, while the Shacklebolt excused himself for a moment.

"You don't believe me," Athena groaned and laid back on the pillows in defeat. She closed her eyes, attempting to force herself awake. Embarrassing herself in front of the greatest wizard of the last century was turning this dream into a nightmare. She felt a hand rest upon her shin and cracked open her eyes to see the older wizard looking at her sadly.

"On the contrary," he said, "I do believe you, Ms. Mayall, and that is what makes your circumstances very difficult." Auror Shacklebolt came back into the room with a newspaper clutched tightly in his hand. He handed the paper to Dumbledore, who thanked him for retrieving it. "Ms. Mayall, I believe you've experimented with magic far beyond our knowledge when you were at the Department of Mysteries, and I suspect you are not in the same place you left. What I am about to show you may seem difficult to believe, but I assure you once more: this is no dream."

He handed Athena the newspaper, _The Daily Prophet_ , it was called. A bold headline read, **DARK MARK SPOTTED AT THE WORLD CUP** , above a black and white photo of a smoky shape rippling in the breeze. She looked at the photo of a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, she knew what that was too. They'd gone over it in European History of Magic, it was the symbol of a dark wizard Voldemort and the Death Eater movement, but the last time it was seen...was in the 1990s...

Frantically she looked for the date on the paper, it was just above the headline: August 30, 1994. 1994. She looked rapidly from the paper to Shacklebolt to the man who might actually be Albus Dumbledore, and started to believe the man when he told her this was no dream. Oh, but how she wished it was. She couldn't manage any words, but Dumbledore offered his own, "whatever happened in the Department of Mysteries must remain a secret, your true background must remain a secret, but most of all you are to tell no one of what you may know about the future or future events."

"You-you're still...still at war. I know, Professor Dumbledore, I took every History of Magic class offered at Ilvermorny," Athena droned devoid of any emotion. She was still processing this unimaginable situation. "I know a lot more than you may think an American would, but yes I know this could get a lot of people hurt – killed even." She gulped as the weight of this new reality landed on her.

"I can't go home, "she announced matter-of-factly, "or to Ilvermorny, I don't exist there yet." She raised her eyes to look at the elderly wizard who nodded sadly.

"I haven't finished school though," she pleaded with him, "I don't have anyone, what am I going to do, where am I going to go?" She dropped her face to her hands, at almost eighteen years old she was not ready to face a wizarding world that wasn't even her own, in a time that wasn't her own, all alone. She felt Dumbledore pat her once more. She did not remove her head from her hands because if she did, she would surely cry again.

"Though phoenixes suffer when they burn, they rise from the ashes born anew, and so you shall, Ms. Mayall," the professor assured her. It was a nice sentiment, he should put it writing and sell it, but it didn't solve any of her problems.

"You will finish your schooling at Hogwarts," he said resolutely and Athena's head snapped up at that. Looking to Dumbledore, she couldn't believe what she just heard. Hogwarts. He just said Hogwarts, she would be going to Hogwarts, the school she had only dreamt about till this point. Hogwarts.

Reality, that salty bitch, slapped Athena once again, "but Professor Dumbledore, I have nothing, no one, how am I going to get my books and robes and...and... - "he held up a hand to cut her off. "Ms. Mayall, you will be taken care of while you are here, I only ask in return that you remember the importance of your discretion when it comes to your background," he instructed with a gleam in his blue eyes. She nodded.

"As for the story others may wish to know while you are with us, you are from America," he gestured to her, acknowledging her very obvious accent, "your parents met there on holiday, your father passed when you were a child and your mother recently died from a particularly acute case of dragon pox, and you've come to live with your grandmother, a squib, in Surrey, Arabella Figg. Mrs. Figg is a member of the Order and would be happy to help. I will inform Mrs. Figg of the particulars and I believe she would be very grateful for the company, you see."

Athena was making mental notes of the details so she'd know her story inside and out: still American, dad died young, mom got dragon pox, grandma Figg is a squib and a member of Dumbledore's legendary Order of the Pheonix. Cool. She wondered how Dumbledore could develop this intricate backstory so quickly and provided only so many details as were necessary to avoid suspicion.

Dumbledore informed her that Auror Shacklebolt, or Kingsley as he'd asked her to call him, would retrieve her books and supplies for the upcoming year, and she would spend the remainder of the summer with a family that was also a part of the Order. He informed her they had several children around her age that would welcome her and could be trusted to keep her safe. With only the remainder of today and tomorrow she only had a short time to prepare herself for Hogwarts. Dumbledore apparently thought it would be best spent around others her age.

When they finished going over the details, Dumbledore called for a nurse to return her wand and discharge her. The two walked through the halls of St. Mungos until they reached a designated apparition area. Dumbledore looked to her, asking if she was familiar with apparition. She grinned widely, "of course, sir. I'm seventeen, and I've had my apparition license for nearly a year. My birthday is in early September, so I am older than most in my school year."

He gave a single nod and a warm smile of approval and asked her to take his arm regardless because she did not know where she would be going. As soon as she placed her right hand on his periwinkle-clad arm they took off with a 'pop'!


	5. Country Roads, Take Me Home

A/N: Sometimes I have time to write, sometimes I don't. This week I did! I see some follows, and if you have thoughts please leave a review!

 **Chapter 5: Country Roads, Take Me Home**

Athena looked around the grassy field Dumbledore apparated to, which seemed so stretch for miles, only a few soft rolling hills obstructing her view in some directions. This was her first look outside since arriving at the Ministry that morning, although it was twenty-four years in the future. The warm sun was low in the sky, still keeping the world well-lit around them. She guessed it might have been around 4 in the afternoon but couldn't be positive.

She followed the professor who began walking through the tall grass. The two came to a worn footpath where they were able to walk side-by-side. Dumbledore glanced over to the American teen and wondered if her presence here, in this place and time, could be a curse or a blessing. He coughed quietly to catch the young woman's attention, who looked at him as though he was about to present her with an award instead of information.

"Ms. Mayall -"

"Athena," she interrupted, "please call me Athena, Professor Dumbledore."

He obliged her, "very well, Athena. You will be staying this evening and tomorrow with the Weasley family." An odd look flashed across her face upon recognition of the family name. "I might assume that you recognize this name?" he asked the girl who realized she was broadcasting her emotions too late. She nodded replying, "I know the name, but I don't know them." That wasn't a lie, she really didn't know any of the Weasleys, despite meeting two of them two decades in the future, but also a few days in her past.

The timelines were tangling in her mind and she thought it would be better to drop the thought before she got a headache. They continued walking for a few minutes and a house started taking shape in front of them. It was amazing. It looked as though it started as a small cottage, but as the family grew and expanded so did the house! It had different additions built on top of and protruding from the main structure. Its quirky architecture was surrounded by a garden of flowers, vines, and vegetables.

It wasn't perfect, but nothing is. Athena fell into one of her terrible habits and began having a conversation with herself about the meaning of perfection.

 _Perfection, everyone thinks it's a goal we should all strive for – but shouldn't we?_ _Why? Perfection is a myth where dreams and creativity go to die. And why is that?_

 _If da Vinci knew another artist – no, another scientist – attained perfection would he have painted as many masterpieces, invented as many things, would he still gaze out to the stars looking into the depths of the universe and questioned everything he'd ever been told?_ _What's your point, wise ass? That this house isn't perfect and that's what makes it incredible to me._ _You're an idiot, you know that? I own it._

Athena was broken from her internal debate when she and Professor Dumbledore arrived at the worn wooden door of the home, and the wizard knocked exactly three times. Shortly after, a tall, red-headed, middle-aged man answered the door. He looked shocked to see the wizard in front of him.

"Professor, to what do we owe the pleasure? Has something happened? Is this about what happened at the World Cup?" the red head rambled. Dumbledore raised his hand slowly, as he'd done to her earlier that day, and looked directly into the other man's eyes.

"Arthur, I've come to ask a favor of you and Molly," the older wizard began. He didn't finish his thought, because a red-headed woman who must have been Molly rushed to the front door when her name was said. "Dumbledore!" she let out in a surprised tone, "how good to see you, please come in." The red heads moved out of the way to allow the Professor in. That was when they both set their gaze on Athena who had been quiet until that point.

No one said anything for a moment so Athena broke the silence, "your home is quite incredible, I don't think I've ever seen anything like it. It's wonderful." She tried her best to smile warmly at the couple, but she couldn't ignore the nervous energy making her heart flutter.

Dumbledore gestured to the teen, addressing the Weasleys, "Molly, Arthur, may I introduce Athena Mayall. She's the reason I've come to the Burrow this evening. She was recently orphaned and contacted her only living family who happens to be Arabella Figg." The older woman turned to Athena with a look of pity and drew her into a hug.

"Poor dear," Mrs. Weasley murmured while she hugged her, "come inside." When the older witch released Athena she entered the home, closing the door behind her. She knew the Weasleys were looking her over while Dumbledore continued telling them her "story":

"She's only been here in England for a few days and will be finishing her seventh year at Hogwarts. I thought it may help if she could meet some of her new schoolmates before the start of term to make the transition easier, that is if it wouldn't be too burdensome on you." The Professor looked at the Weasleys who were already agreeing that it was a wonderful idea and invited her to stay with the until she left for Hogwarts on September 1st.

Athena let out a shaky breath she didn't know she had been holding and tears came to her eyes. "Th-thank you," she managed to get out before Mrs. Weasley wrapped her in another tight hug. "It's going to be alright, darling. I can't even imagine how hard it must be losing a parent, leaving your country, not knowing anyone."

The older woman released her just enough to that she held onto her arms and looked her over once more. Wiping a stay tear from Athena's face she noted, "well aren't you pretty, dear. Come along, we'll introduce you to everyone. I'm Molly and this is my husband Arthur, "she gestured to him, then grabbed Athena to lead her through the house. She wasn't sure when Dumbledore snuck away, but she knew he was no longer there.

Mr. And Mrs. Weasley brought her outside to the back of the house where loud clashes and raucous laughter could be heard. The noise came from two long wooden tables that were levitating and thrown against one another by two tall redheads while several others sat around watching the furniture duel. Molly released Athena's arm to screech, "BILL AND CHARLIE WEASLEY, WHAT IN MERLIN'S NAME ARE YOU DOING?!" Molly's face was red and she was sure her ears would be steaming if they could.

The group outside whipped their heads around to see a fuming Molly Weasley, but their eyes didn't remain on the matriarch for long. Instead they looked over at the strange brunette girl who was with her. The tables were returned to the ground and the group came over to where Athena and the Weasley parents were. Calming herself, Molly reached out to pull Athena in front of her.

"Everyone," she said firmly, "I'd like to introduce you to Athena Mayall, she's transferred from Ilvermorny in the United States and will be starting her seventh year at Hogwarts. I'd like you to all make her feel welcome, because she'll be staying with us tonight and tomorrow." Then she went on introducing everyone there.

First, she pointed out one of the wizards who was dueling with the table, Bill. He had shaggy dark red hair and a fang hanging from the lobe of one of his ears. Molly mentioned he worked as a curse-breaker for Gringotts bank. Next was the other table-duelist, Charlie, who was slightly shorter than Bill, but definitely more attractive in Athena's opinion.

Unlike the rest of his family, Charlie's muscular arms were tanned and covered in patterns of thin white scars with an occasional reddish scratch thrown in between. His hair was lighter than Bill's, and it was obvious he spent most of his time outdoors. Molly noted that Charlie worked with dragons. Athena must have looked into his mossy-green eyes a little too long, because Molly began explaining their third oldest son, Percy (who she'd technically met), was working. Charlie chuckled and gave her a wink, making redness rise to her cheeks.

Molly continued introducing the twins, Fred and George – who insisted their real names were Gred and Forge-, Ron, Ginny, and their family friends Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. It was so strange seeing them like this, especially because she met adult Harry just a few days ago and this time around she was the older one. After the introductions, the table was set, and the group sat down together for dinner. Initially, dinner went by uneventfully. The rambunctious twins insisted that she needed to sit directly in between them, which coincidently was also directly across from Charlie.

Throughout dinner the twins would play with Athena's hair or throw food at their younger brother and his friends, keeping her thoroughly entertained.

The Weasley family was loud and talkative, so Athena didn't worry about filling any awkward silences, that was until the handsome wizard across from her asked, "So Athena, what's Ilvermorny like?" Then complete silence hushed the table, who was curious to hear what the girl had to say. She realized that Molly had done all of the talking before, and none of them heard her speak. Athena placed her fork down on the table, and even the twins stopped whatever they'd been doing to her hair.

She gave Charlie a warm smile as she remembered her beloved school. "I'd imagine it isn't that different from Hogwarts," she said shrugging her shoulders. The twins, jumping on this conversation asked her if she played that "awful troll-ish game" that was so popular in the States. She laughed out loud at that. She probably hated quodpot just as much, if not more than they did.

"Oh Morgana no, I was keeper for my house's quidditch team," she told them and saw the excitement cross their faces as they learned they had another quidditch player for a scrimmage after dinner. She should've stopped there but the word's left her mouth too quickly, "I was going to be captain this year." The sadness she felt as soon as she'd mentioned it felt like a punch in the gut. She closed her eyes to regain some composure, then felt a large hand cover hers which had been balled into a fist on the table.

She looked at the hand covering hers and up to Charlie who it belonged to. He looked at her apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking, that was my fault." She felt her face heat up when she remembered his hand was still on hers and stuttered, "it-it-it's okay." He removed his hand from hers and gave her a cheeky half-smile while the twins snickered. _Oh so that's how it was gonna be?_

She threw an arm around each of the boys' necks and drew them close muttering a threat only loud enough for them to hear. Whatever she told them caused them to stop snickering and pale just a bit. That made the older Weasley boys chuckle and Ron yelled over, "I like you already!" Feeling a little more comfortable amongst the family she let herself drift in and out of conversation.

The group agreed they could play quidditch in the morning, because it would be too dark soon to play. Disappointed the twins slunk of to their room grumbling about the delay, and the younger kids settled in the grass near the house talking about the most recent – THEIR most recent - World Cup between Ireland and Bulgaria.

Athena took the opportunity to reflect on all that had happened to her in the past 12 hours and she was still having trouble believing it. She sat on the edge of s small pond with her knees drawn up to her chest and watching the sunset paint the sky shades of orange and red. She felt the grass shift as someone sat down beside her. Looking out of the corner of her eye she saw it was Charlie.

"Beautiful, right?" she commented, not looking at him. He agreed with a breathy, "sure is." Something about the timbre of his voice combined with his English accent gave her butterflies. They sat there in comfortable silence, which Athena was unused to, until the sun set beyond the horizon. Laying back on the grass Athena turned her gaze to the stars. How could they look the same two decades apart? The universe was weird in that way.

Charlie was still sitting up with his hands behind him, bracing him. Not turning around to look at her he said, "I really am sorry about before at dinner, I wasn't thinking." She was confused, hadn't he already apologized? "There's no reason to be sorry, you asked a question and I answered it," Athena shrugged, sitting up once more. She placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to look in her direction, and she locked on to his green eyes again. There was something in them she couldn't figure out, but she wanted to.

Every once in a while, Athena had a great idea, and luckily this was one of those moments. "Hey," she said with a wicked smile, "let's play a game. We'll each ask each other question, and everything is fair game, no need to feel bad about it." Charlie returned the smile and agreed to play. Athena didn't start, but instead looked at him very seriously, "I'm gonna need you to pinky swear that this stays between us though."

"What in Merlin's name is a pinky swear?" he asked her in amusement. Athena answered by holding up her right hand in a fist with her pinky out towards him, instructing him to do exactly as she did and she explained, "it's a special promise. Maybe it's an American thing, but it means so much more than just words." The way her eyes lit up made Charlie agree almost instantly, grasping her pinky with his own. "I pinky swear."

She smiled brightly once more and announced that she'd start. "How old are you, Charlie?" "21," he answered plainly. She nodded absorbing the information and volunteered that she'd be 18 on September 8th. Athena gestured to him, letting him know it was his turn.

They went back and forth for almost an hour and learned quite a bit about the other. For example, Athena learned that Charlie was Gryffindor's seeker when he was at Hogwarts and loved dragons since he was a little boy, and his favorite drink was firewhiskey.

In return, Athena told Charlie about her love of history, how she wanted to be a magi-jurist (the wizarding equivalent of a lawyer), growing up around Boston, and her favorite drink was a no-maj beer called an IPA. She explained that in the States the drinking age was 21 so she and her friends often snuck into no-maj bars and lied about their age to get the drink. Charlie laughed at that, "you're a little rebel, aren't you? Also, what the hell is a no-maj?"

Looking at him in disbelief she answered with a wink, "1. Correction, I am a _big_ rebel and 2. a no-maj is what you guys call moogles, I think." That caused Charlie to let out a great bark of laughter.

"What did I say?" Athena wondered what could've made him react that way, not that she minded. Charlie's laugh was a wonderful sound, full of life, and she couldn't help joining him. Just then, Bill approached the two sitting in the grass with a questioning look on his face and a single eyebrow raised.

"And what is going on over here?" he inquired with his arms crossed over his chest. Charlie's laughter quieted but didn't cease. Between chuckles he instructed Athena to tell his brother what non-magical folk were called in the U.K., and she complied, "moogles?"

Then both Weasley men broke into guffaws of laughter, and Athena realized her mistake. It wasn't moogle, it was muggle. She slapped her left hand to her forehead in embarrassment and her cheeks were burning bright red. She was glad the moon wasn't too bright so the boys wouldn't see but was glad she was able to hear Charlie laugh out loud like this. After a few moments of laughter, Bill announced that Mrs. Weasley had asked them to come indoors for bed because it was getting late.

The three walked together back to the Burrow joking and laughing along the way. Bill was the first to enter the house, and just when Charlie was about to head inside he felt a soft hand take hold of his and tug. He turned around to see Athena's face illuminated in a soft glow of light coming from inside the home. Her eyes met his, they looked like dark pools of chocolate with swirls of caramel running through them.

They stood that way for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Thank you, Charlie," she said sincerely with a half-smile, "for tonight. I don't remember the last time I was able to laugh like that." He grinned widely at her and reached his free hand to ruffle it through his hair.

"It was nuthin," me muttered, and she was sure a little pink flushed his cheeks. Athena stood on her tip toes to place a soft kiss on his cheek, before sauntering past him inside. She wasn't sure why she did that and she didn't regret it, but she didn't chance looking back at him to see his reaction and instead shouted, "g'night, Charlie!" over her shoulder before going to find Mrs. Weasley.

Luckily the woman she was looking for was waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase leading to what must have been bedrooms. Molly Weasley led her to Ginny's bedroom which she'd also be sharing with Hermione Granger. Both of the younger girls offered her sets of clothes to sleep in, when she began to search frantically in the pocket of her jeans. In the same front pocket her wand was in, her fingers closed around a hard, rectangular object. Her case was still shrunk in her pocket!

"I love magic," she whispered aloud, thanking Morgana she still had her own clothes. She enlarged the case with her wand to grab some clothes to wear for bed. She pulled out a Thunderbird Quidditch shirt and some muggle leggings, and she settled into the bed Molly had conjured for her. Athena, Hermione, and Ginny stayed up for a little longer to have some much-needed girl talk.

While the girls filled her in on Hogwarts' quirks and shared some gossip about their housemates, Athena was thinking about the last few hours, especially her chat with Charlie. She thanked her lucky stars she escaped before making a total idiot of herself in front of Charlie. The thought of the handsome Weasley made her cheeks flush, which didn't go unnoticed.

"He's single, just so you know," Ginny told Athena, leaning on her arm to look at the older girl. "Charlie, I mean, but Bill as well if you're interested," she clarified. Athena sputtered and gaped, she didn't know that anyone had noticed her attraction to the second oldest Weasley child.

"Ginny," Hermione whispered harshly from the other side of the room, "leave the poor girl alone." Athena gave Hermione a grateful smile, before looking back to the youngest Weasley.

"Thanks...Ginny, right?" the red head nodded in response. "I've just lost my whole family, my friends, and my home. I'm all alone. I don't think I can handle a relationship right now anyway," Athena told the younger witch sadly.

Hermione sat up to look at Athena curiously. "I can't even imagine how hard that must be, but you're smarter than that, I can tell," she said seriously. "The way you spoke at dinner, handled the twins, laughed with Charlie and Bill, surely you must know that we will be your friends. That is, if you'd like."

Ginny nodded vigorously and smiled brightly. Athena returned the smile and felt her heart warm. "Thanks, Hermione," she said softly.

The bushy-haired girl continued, "tomorrow you'll have to chat with Ron and Harry too, I'm sure they'd agree with us."

"Especially if you play quidditch, we'll have a match in the morning!" Ginny said excitedly. Soon after, the younger girl let out a massive yawn and announced they should get some sleep if they wanted to be on their best game for quidditch tomorrow. The girls bid each other good night and turned off the lights.

Athena was surprised how easily these girls, and the whole Weasley family for that matter, accepted her into their fold. She was grateful that even though her mistake cost her the life she knew, there were people willing to help a stranger like her and show her love.


	6. Not Alone

**Chapter 6: Not Alone**

As promised, a quidditch game was arranged the next morning before breakfast. The sun had barely risen but was enough to illuminate the back yard where two goal posts stood opposite each other. Hermione agreed to officiate and keep score and split their group into two teams of four, with one keeper and three chasers. Backyard quidditch didn't require beaters nor a seeker, plus Molly would lose her mind if the twins were able to whack about a bludger so close to the house.

Athena, Charlie, Ginny, and Fred made up one team while Ron, Harry, Bill, and George made up the other. Using one of the Weasley's spare brooms, Athena took her position in front of the goal post. She loved being a keeper because she was able to see the whole game while she wasn't involved in a play, and she enjoyed what she saw. The Weasleys and Harry were incredibly good, and it was obvious quidditch players in Europe were of a different caliber than in the U.S. She admired their skill and speed but didn't let it affect her game.

There was a reason she was called "the Wall" back at Ilvermorny. Even on a strange broom, it felt natural to dive, swerve, kick, and catch the quaffle every time it neared her goal.

After roughly an hour of play she only allowed 3 goals in, two from Bill and one sneaky shot from Harry. Charlie and Ginny were able to put five each past Ron and Fred had two of his own. She was in her element up in the sky, but the game came to an end when Mrs. Weasley called out that breakfast was ready.

Both teams met on the ground and Athena shook hands with Ron and Harry, telling them they'd played well. Bill was shouting for a rematch after breakfast, "and next time we get Athena!" She laughed but was taken off guard when an arm was slung around her shoulders.

"No chance, Billy-boy," Charlie shouted to his brother, holding Athena to his side while the group walked to the house. Looking down at her he whispered, "you didn't tell me how bloody fantastic you were, love."

Charlie removed his arm and Athena just shrugged off the compliment and replied, "I'm alright."

"Alright?" said one of the twins from her left.

"She's bloody brilliant!" the other said from her right.

She wasn't sure who was who, and she thought about finding some small feature that would tell them apart. They surprised her when they lifted her up onto their shoulders, carrying her the rest of the way to the Burrow making her throw her head back in laughter. Clearly the threat she made to them the previous evening hadn't scared them away.

The group continued to talk quidditch over breakfast, when Harry casually mentioned that he hoped she'd be sorted into Gryffindor because they needed a keeper after their previous one graduated. She remembered that _Hogwarts: A History_ discussed the sorting and house rivalries. Athena did not want to mention what house she thought she might be sorted into while surrounded by Gryffindors. She couldn't afford to lose the only friends she had here.

Instead their conversation shifted to the classes and professors of Hogwarts. The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione each took turns describing the different professors and shared stories from their years at Hogwarts. Their conversation was interrupted by a tapping on the window. Bill rose from the table to let the source of the tapping, a brown barn owl, fly into the house. The owl fluttered over to Athena depositing a letter in front of her, before taking off through the open window.

The envelope was thick and yellow-ish...like parchment. She forgot Professor Bartlett mentioned the wizarding world in Europe liked preserving tradition. In the States, especially at Ilvermorny, students used no-maj lined paper, notebooks, and pens. Athena had only ever seen the older professors use a quill and ink. On the front of the envelope was her name written in a clean script with green ink. On the back was the Hogwarts seal pressed into maroon wax. Opening the letter, Athena read:

 **Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards)

 _Dear Ms. Mayall,_ _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a transfer student to Hogwarts School of WItchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a ticket for the Hogwarts Express, which departs from King's Cross Station, London promptly at 11 A.M on 1 September. Your supplies for the following year will be at Hogwarts when you arrive._ _Upon arrival at Hogsmeade Station, please find Professor Snape who will provide you with your school uniform and escort you to the Sorting Ceremony._ _Yours Sincerely,_ _Minerva McGonagall_ _Deputy Headmistress_

"That's downright cruel, sticking you with Snape," Ron said, reading the letter over Athena's shoulder. A 'thunk' followed by a "hey" came from the younger boy.

Athena saw Hermione giving him a scathing look and guessed she must have hit him for being nosy.

Ginny looked to Athena with excitement in her eyes, "I hope you'll be Gryffindor! Harry hopes you'll be Gryffindor too, right Harry?" Athena caught Harry running his hand through his unruly hair while agreeing with a sheepish, "yeah."

Hermione got Athena's attention from where she sat on her right noting, "Ginny, she could be a Ravenclaw for all we know. Remember last night, she talked about her History of Magic obsession for a good twenty minutes!"

The red-haired girl responded with, "ooh, or maybe she'll be Hufflepuff. She could meet Diggory and introduce us properly 'Mione!" Ginny gave Athena a little wink, then gave a nod in the direction of her brother who was on Athena's left side and stiffened in his chair. Not noticing Charlie's odd behavior, Athena asked the youngest Weasley who Diggory was.

That was enough to set the twins and Ron off into incoherent, angry yells and wild hand gestures. "OI!" Ginny screamed twice as loud. It shut them up so Hermione could tell Athena, "Cedric Diggory is a seventh year Hufflepuff, who happens to be very handsome. These idiots," she said gesturing to the red-faced Weasley boys, "are still upset about something that happened during a quidditch game between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor last year that _was out of his control_." Athena didn't miss the emphasis on the last bit.

Ron interjected, "Harry was knocked off his broom by a Dementor and that tosser Diggory went for the snitch!"

"You're not telling the whole story, Ronald," Hermione countered. "He's apologized so many times and declared there should be a re-match once he found out what happened!" The bushy-haired girl looked to Harry to say something.

The green-eyed, bespectacled boy just nodded his head in defeat and looked at his best friend declaring, "she's right, Ron, Diggory said he was sorry and asked Dumbledore to arrange a rematch." Then turning to Athena, the Boy-Who-Lived commented, "he's a good guy, can't fault him for my bad luck."

Ginny must have been ignoring what Athena told her the previous evening about not wanting a romantic relationship at the moment. She couldn't blame the thirteen-year old, she didn't get very many chances when she was at home to have these conversations surrounded by her older brothers. She took the opportunity to remind her, "Ginny, I'd like to focus on finishing my last year of school instead of getting a boyfriend."

The younger girl deflated and she noticed Charlie drop his shoulders out of the corner of her eye. She moved her head to look in his direction, but Bill caught her attention first, "Well Athena, whichever house you're in, I think you'll be brilliant." She smiled gratefully at the oldest Weasley brother and thanked him.

The rest of the day passed much too quickly for Athena's liking. She was really enjoying her time with the Weasleys. They shuffled their teams from earlier that day and played a few more games of quidditch, Ginny and Hermione got her to lay in the hot summer sun for a while, and Molly Weasley even let her help prepare dinner for the evening. Dinner talk revolved around the upcoming school year, and a few passive comments from Mr. Weasley about some big event that would be coming to Hogwarts that year.

Fred, who she discovered had a mole just under his jaw on the left side of his face, joked, "now, dad, Athena's gonna have a hard-enough time being the new girl." George picked up the sentence with, "she doesn't need a huge ego to go along with it." That made the whole table laugh and Mr. Weasley just shook his head saying, "you'll see for yourselves."

When dinner was over, the twins, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny went to pack their trunks for the school year. Molly brought a little desert wine out for those of age, which in England included Athena, and they sat around the table sharing light conversation. Charlie, who had been quiet most of the evening asked Athena if she'd like to accompany him for a walk.

A walk would be perfect after the massive meal she'd just eaten. Whatever self-control she had must have been left behind yesterday at the Ministry, because she ate enough food for a family of four. She took the hand Charlie offered her and stood up from her place at the table. Molly looked at her son's hand holding hers with a satisfying smile on her face and nudged her husband with her elbow. Mr. Weasley was oblivious to what his wife was hinting at, but Bill looked over and gave a soft chuckle.

Of course, Athena and Charlie didn't see any of that because they were already walking out the door into the garden. Still holding Athena's hand in his own, Charlie led her through a wild maze of flowers and vegetables until they stopped at a low stone wall separating the garden from the field surrounding the Burrow.

The sun hadn't quite set and its light was bright as it set behind the Weasley family home. Charlie released her hand and sat on the wall facing the house so he was shielded from the sun, still visible to Athena but away from any eyes that may be prying from within the house. He pat a spot to his right, indicating for Athena to sit beside him. She took the seat and sighed contently, staring into the garden.

"Sorry, my family can be a little much sometimes, even I need a break," he remarked casually. Athena took a moment to really look at the man beside her. Charlie's shaggy hair was not quite curly but had a distinct wave to it which emphasized the streaks that had been lightened by the sun. His freckled, lightly-sun kissed skin made her wonder about the places he'd been to study dragons and was even more curious about the collection of different scratches and scars on his arms and how he got them.

Athena decided his best feature, by far, were his expressive green eyes. She noticed the way they sparkled and danced when he talked about quidditch or the dragons he studied, and the way they would brighten and squint when he let out a hearty laugh. When Athena made Charlie and Bill laugh the previous night she didn't even mind being embarrassed because his laugh was so contagious she couldn't help but join in. She smiled at the thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I've enjoyed spending time with your family, they've made me miss mine a little less," she answered honestly.

Since the moment Athena accepted she wasn't dreaming, an occasional stab of sadness would hit her and invade her thoughts. She wouldn't see her parents or siblings again or hand over the quidditch captaincy to Johnny-boy, and at this point she wasn't sure if she'd still be able to pursue her career as a magi-jurist here. She only noticed she was crying when Charlie raised a hand to her face to wipe away a tear from her cheek.

"Shit, I made you cry again, I'm a dolt," Charlie apologized profusely.

"You're 0 for 2, Weasley," Athena joked while wiping her eyes. "I'm fine, really. Your family has been so kind to me, without even knowing me!" She reached for one of his hands and gave it a squeeze.

"Thank you, for everything."

He brought his free hand to the back of his neck nervously and didn't know what to say. To him, it hadn't felt like they'd only met yesterday, and with every passing minute he was excited to learn something new about her. Their question game last night was only the beginning and watching her play quidditch made him the happiest he'd felt in a long time. She was right though, they just met and barely knew each other. Also, he heard her clearly when she told Ginny that she wasn't looking for romance right now, not that he blamed her. She'd been through so much and he didn't want to scare her away.

"Write to me," he blurted out. Athena heard the words, they were deliberate and distinct. "While you're at Hogwarts, I mean. I've got to go back to Romania tomorrow, but I want to keep in touch, but only if you want to keep in touch so don't feel like you have to say yes or anything, I just wanted you to know you can reach out if you feel lonely, not that you won't make friends-"

Athena stopped Charlie's rambling by placing her right hand over his mouth. "Charlie," she giggled removing her hand, "of course I'll write to you."

"Right..well...uh, cheers then," he mumbled.

"In America, you need a drink in your hand if you're gonna say cheers, Mr. Weasley," she instructed, "c'mon."

Athena stood up pulling Charlie with her by their hands that were still connected and lead him back towards the house. She was exhausted after the several games of quidditch they played earlier and felt her eyelids getting heavy. Charlie let Athena lead him back to the house muttering something under his breath about Mr. Weasley being his father. They entered the kitchen and found it empty, but she noticed Molly left the dessert wine out on the table.

Athena dropped Charlie's hand to retrieve two clean wine glasses that rested by the sink. She set them down in front of Charlie and poured two small glasses of the sweet amber liquid. She took one and handed the other to Charlie toasting, "to you and your family, for welcoming a stranger into your home."

Smiling he raised his glass, "to you and your brilliant quidditch skills for making the last days of summer some of the best I've ever had." Her cheeks warmed at his praise and she also raised her glass.

"To new friends and pen-pals."

"To new friends and pen-pals," he repeated.

"Cheers!" they said together, touching their glasses before downing the contents.

After their toast, Charlie and Athena bid each other goodnight and retreated to their respective rooms. Exhausted, Athena collapsed onto her bed in Ginny's room fully-clothed and was jolted awake by Hermione the following morning. The younger girl told her that they'd be leaving soon, so she'd better get ready. Athena had slept until 10:15, and they'd be leaving at 10:30. As an expert of getting ready while running late, Athena sprang to her feet running out of Ginny's room into the bathroom across the hall.

She jumped into the shower, lathering her hair and brushing her teeth simultaneously to conserve time. She wrapped a clean towel around her and sprinted back to Ginny's room to get dressed, almost knocking the red head over in her haste. Rummaging in her still-packed suitcase, Athena grabbed a comfortable pair of black leggings, a plain teal V-neck tee, and undergarments. She changed quickly, brushed through the knotted mess that was her hair, then dried it with her wand. The resulting afro rivaled Hermione's wild locks and she dove back into her suitcase.

Her hand closed around a glass bottle filled with a viscous yellow substance and she raised it up triumphantly. Sleak-Eazy's Soft Curl Cream was a life-saver when she didn't have enough time to style her unruly hair. Maybe she'd let Hermione use it from time to time. Dabbing a small amount of the styling cream into her hands she worked it through her wild hair until it settled into loose ringlets that fell to her shoulder blades.

She finished her routine by applying eyeliner and mascara while sliding on her old black Converse. When she finished she glanced at the watch on her wrist, 10:27. She'd done it with three minutes to spare. Applause caused her to look over her shoulder while she levitated the remainder of her belongings into her suitcase. Ginny was clapping, eyes wide and mouth set in a wide smile.

"You've got to teach me how to do that."

"Sure thing, kid," Athena said with a wink.

Athena levitated her case to sit by Hermione and Ginny's trunks before casting the _locomotor_ charm on the luggage, sending it downstairs. It must have been perfect timing because Molly Weasley shouted to the girls it was time to go.

Athena stuffed her wand and the letter containing her train ticket into the small black purse Ginny let her borrow and slung it over her shoulder. The girls joined the rest of the school-aged Weasley children and their parents before setting off to King's Cross.

This was it. Athena was going to Hogwarts.


	7. Castle on the Hill

**A/N:**

Thanks for the follows and reviews! keep 'em coming!

 **Chapter 7: Castle on the Hill**

King's Cross Station was busier than Athena anticipated and she felt guilty she had shrunk her suitcase while the twins, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny pushed their trunks and cages housing their rambunctious pets through the crowds of people moving in every direction. Though large and difficult to maneuver, their trunks forced the crowds to move out of the way which allowed Athena, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charlie to follow the younger students without much difficulty. Bill and Charlie insisted on accompanying the group to see them off for the school year, and much to Athena's annoyance, kept referring to "something big" they would all find out about later.

Her annoyance paled in comparison to the anxiety and excitement she felt burning through her body the longer they walked through the train terminal. Soon, the group came to a halt between platforms 9 and 10. Athena quickly pulled out the golden train ticket that came enclosed with her letter from Professor McGonagall to see which platform their train would be leaving from. She thought it was odd that Hogwarts would transport its students in plain view of the no-ma...muggles. If she was going to be here for the foreseeable future, she might as well pick up the slang.

Her ticket read that the Hogwarts Express departed from Platform 9 . Her confusion must have been obvious because a low voice whispered to her, "to your left."

Athena felt an odd sensation in her abdomen hearing Charlie's voice just over her shoulder, but she followed his instruction and looked ho her left to see the twins, one after the other run straight for the wall. Thinking it was one of their pranks, Athena wondered just how angry Molly Weasley would get. They were in public, after all. Nothing happened as the twins disappeared through the wall and their siblings, Harry, and Hermione followed.

"That makes more sense," Athena giggled looking over to Charlie who had an odd look on his face. "What is it? Do I have something on my face?" she asked him.

"Most people don't react like that the first time," Bill noted as he slung an arm over his dumbfounded younger brother's shoulders.

"Well c'mon then, it's your turn now."

It was her turn. She looked at the blank brick wall before taking a deep breath. The others had made it through just fine, but for some reason she was frozen in place. It could be her human instinct was telling her not to run face-first into a brick wall, or maybe it was the thought that had been plaguing her for the past two days that none of this was real. A warm hand grasped hers pulling her from the thought.

"Let's go together," Charlie suggested, giving her hand a light squeeze. She couldn't repress the smile that came to her face and she nodded in approval.

"One, two, three..."

She didn't know who was leading who, but they made it through the barrier just in time to hear Ginny calling from a window of the gorgeous scarlet steam train in front of them, "Oi Charlie, tell your girlfriend to hurry up and get her arse on this train!" Which was quickly followed by an admonishment from her mother.

Athena glanced at the man who was guiding her through the throngs of witches and wizards, still holding her hand, to see his face pale as though he were going to be ill. Damnit Ginny. She had put the thought in Athena's mind that her older brother might be interested, but his reaction to the youngest Weasley's comment just proved that theory wrong. He looked sick at the suggestion that Athena was his girlfriend, but why did she care?

She already told all of them she didn't want anything like that right now anyway. She didn't, but it still hurt her pride to see the handsome dragon tamer's face that way. They reached the entrance to the train car where Ginny had popped out from and came to a halt in front of the stairs. Athena dropped Charlie's hand and started towards the train.

"You're not going to say goodbye?"

 _No_ , she thought bitterly, but turned around to see the disappointment in his face. Maybe he was just trying to be a good friend and she was projecting her own emotions onto the situation because she found him attractive. She felt like an idiot. She knew the man barely two days, why would he feel anything but sympathy for her situation.

"Of course! Sorry, I'm a little scatterbrained today. Goodbye, Charlie," giving the red head a small smile. His face broke into a goofy grin and he closed the distance between them to scoop her up in a hug. He was not making this easy for her, but she appreciated the gesture anyway. He put her down and made her pinky promise to write before he let her get on the train.

The engine's whistle blew while she climbed into the first compartment of the train car where Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Harry sat before falling into an empty spot on one of the benches. The train gave a small jerk, then began to slowly move away from the platform which brought back the excitement and anticipation Athena felt earlier that morning. It was a welcome distraction from whatever just happened on Platform 9 .

The train ride was eventful as Athena was introduced to what she imagined was a majority of Gryffindor House, listened to Hermione talk about her house elf rights campaign Ron nicknamed S.P.E.W., and offered to help the younger girl with the legal aspects of her activism. Athena also had the displeasure of meeting an obnoxious fourth year Slytherin by the name of Draco Malfoy who took to calling her "the Yankee" in a snide, demeaning tone, and was relieved when the nasty boy left. She swore she heard him praising Durmstrang Institute while presumably making his way back to his own seat, claiming he could have and should have gone there for his schooling instead of Hogwarts. Other than that interaction, the rest of Athena's journey was pleasant.

She was enjoying the scenery of the Scottish countryside, noticing the way the light played with the rolling hills in the distance and blended oranges and pink, like a scene from an oil painting she's seen once in Boston. When darker hues of blue and violet began to overwhelm the now barely-illuminated sky, Hermione announced that they should get changed, as they'd be arriving at Hogsmeade within the next hour.

While her companions left the compartment to change into their school robes, Athena decided to stretch her legs and explore the train. Professor Snape was going to provide her with her school robes when they arrived, so she had nothing to do until then.

Walking up the aisle of several train compartments, Athena observed students of different ages wearing yellow, maroon, blue, and green chatting excitedly about the upcoming school year. There was a group of noticeably younger students who sat together in a compartment looking terrified. First years were the same here as at Ilvermorny: small.

 _I don't remember ever being that tiny,_ she smirked. A rumble of laughter caused her to jump and she drew her wand, pointing at the source of the noise.

The tall boy had his hands in front of him in surrender and he glanced from the area just below his ribs where her wand was aimed to her eyes. He had caramel hair and eyes of the same color which twinkled in amusement, high well-defined cheekbones, and a strong jaw. He was handsome and had an athletic build, probably from quidditch because almost everyone in this country (well, besides Hermione) played.

This boy had a classically handsome look about him that reminded her of Johnny, the major difference being the paleness of this boy in comparison to her friend and teammate. Her heart lurched at the memory of her friend who wasn't even alive yet in this reality. Athena's shoulders slumped and she lowered her wand realizing she still had it aimed at him.

"Sorry," she muttered, "it's been a weird day." In truth, it has been a weird week altogether.

"No harm done," the boy in front of her said giving her a crooked smile. He had his uniform robes on and wore a yellow and black tie, so he was a Hufflepuff, if she remembered correctly.

"I think I've said the same thing every year," nodding his head in the direction of the first years, the smile on his face growing.

Her face flushed in understanding and brought her palm to her face in embarrassment. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" She already knew the answer to that.

"Fortunately for me, you did. My name is Cedric Diggory, I'm a Hufflepuff prefect, and I've been instructed by the Head Boy to 'find the American transfer student and escort her to Professor Snape when we arrive.'"

She removed the hand covering her face. So, this was Cedric Diggory, the boy Ginny and Hermione gushed about yesterday. They were right, the tall boy in the hallway with her was very handsome, and the accent which she had been admiring all week only added to his good looks. She'd been staring at him too long and she needed to do something before it got too weird.

"Athena - I'm Athena Mayall. Sorry, I'm not usually this awkward – actually, that's probably not entirely accurate - I don't know why I reacted the way I did, and I'm really sorry about pulling my wand on you. I'm sure you've noticed I'm a little out of place here," she told him gesturing to herself.

Oddly enough, he took a moment to look her over with a serious look almost as if he were about to appraise a painting, and she wished she wore something a little nicer or done her hair differently. Cedric finished his assessment with a slight nod, a crooked smirk gracing his lips, and his caramel eyes met hers.

"You play quidditch, so I think you'll be just fine," he said confidently.

"How did you possibly know I play quidditch?"

He shrugged, "I can just tell." Athena gave the Hufflepuff prefect a look that screamed _bullshit_.

Grinning widely, Cedric knew he'd been caught and admitted he may have overheard the Weasley twins talking about the Ilvermorny transfer student's brilliant quidditch skills while he was walking to his prefect meeting earlier that day. Athena smirked at the Hufflepuff but her undoubtedly sarcastic response was cut off by a screech coming from the train followed by a series of small jerks. The train slowly pulled into Hogsmeade Station which was dimly lit by several lamps.

Students flooded the platform when the train came to a complete stop, and Athena didn't miss the stares and whispers that followed while she and Cedric navigated through the sea of students. Hundreds of voices were ringing out from each direction but Athena was able to focus on a few.

"Who's that with Diggory?"

"Why hasn't she got her robes on?"

"She's got tits, mate, no way she's a first year."

But by far, the voice that took over the gossip came from a huge man with full wiry long hair and a matching beard shouting, "FIRS' YEARS THIS WAY!" She guessed that the man was Hagrid. Harry described the gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor in great detail the previous day, and she was able to appreciate the accuracy of the fourth year Gryffindor.

Cedric led her away from the platform to the edge of a forest where older students were piling into a long line of horseless carriages. Instead of joining the other students, he directed her to the right side of the path the carriages were following where a halted carriage sat alone. Beside the carriage stood a pale wizard with shoulder-length black hair and a hooked nose and clad in long black robes. He gave Athena and Cedric a sour look as they approached, and when they were close enough Athena could practically feel irritation radiate off the man.

"Mr. Diggory, that will be all you may join your classmates," the man in black drawled, his dark sunken eyes looking at the prefect.

"Yes, Professor Snape," came Cedric's polite reply. Before he began walking back to the carriages, Cedric made sure to give Athena an encouraging smile and a wink.

Then the professor's eyes turned on her which made her straighten her posture. His eyes narrowed at her in a way that appeared as if he were trying to figure her out. She felt uncomfortable under the professor's gaze and she decided to cut the tension.

"Professor Snape, thank you for taking the time to meet me. I am Athena Mayall, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He looked perplexed by her pleasantries but did not return them.

"Professor Dumbledore has enlightened me on your," pausing to let his lip curl partially in a sneer, "situation."

She assumed the Headmaster would have to explain to the professors why, on such short notice, Hogwarts would have a transfer student from the United States. However, the way the Professor emphasized the last word made her think that it wasn't the cover story Dumbledore conceived Snape was referring too. He didn't say anything else about it while they rode the carriage up to the castle.

When they arrived, Athena admired the beautiful structure she'd only seen in books. The way the moon illuminated the stone towers was...magical. As corny as that sounds, it was true. She wasn't able to admire the architecture very long because Professor Snape ushered her inside directing her to a room where a set of school robes were left for her to change into. She was advised that the rest of her belongings and school supplies would be waiting for her in her dormitory once she'd been sorted. She changed quickly and met Professor Snape once more.

They walked through the halls of the castle at a brisk pace so she was unable to truly take in her surroundings. During their walk, the professor explained the sorting ceremony, but Athena did not want to interrupt the grumbling man to tell him she already knew. They arrived at a large set of wooden doors, the Great Hall, according to Snape just in time to witness a thunderstorm coming from the ceiling. Several students screamed and Snape drew his wand, but it wasn't needed as a spell shot out from the far side of the hall, stopping the storm and changing the ceiling to reflect a calm night sky.

All eyes focused on the source of the spell: a stocky, middle-aged wizard with thin hair protruding in odd patches and patterns from his skull, and clutching a wooden staff limped up to the table in the front of the room where she saw Professor Dumbledore standing. Athena saw that the reason for his limp was an artificial leg, but more interesting than this was the contraption strapped to his head. From this distance Athena, wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it looked like a wildly spinning eyeball.

Dumbledore introduced the odd man, who was currently taking a large swig from a flask, as Professor Alastor Moody who would teach Defense Against the Dark Arts for the upcoming school year. Loud whispers and polite applause followed the announcement with excitement. Then Dumbledore looked to the spot she was standing in the doorway to the hall, and out of her peripheral vision, Athena noticed Professor Snape was no longer there. The brooding man had snuck away during Dumbledore's announcement, leaving Athena to stand alone in the doorway.

When the noise among the students subsided, Dumbledore addressed the students once more, "Professor Moody is not the only new addition to Hogwarts this year. It is my pleasure to announce Athena Mayall of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the United States of America will be joining us for her seventh year. She will be sorted just as the first years have, so let us all extend a warm welcome to Ms. Mayall."

The older wizard clapped politely in her direction and the entire student body of Hogwarts whipped their heads around to look at the mystery transfer student. More applause and whispers erupted in the Great Hall as she made her way to the front of the room. She heard the Weasley twins whistle at her and shout encouragements from somewhere to her right, but she was focused on a witch in emerald green robes who stood by a stool in front of the raised table in the front of the room. In one hand she held an old brown pointed hat. When she finally reached the stool, all the noise in the hall ceased.

"I am Professor McGonagall, please have a seat so you may be sorted," the witch in green told Athena. Professor McGonagall looked exactly as Hermione told her the previous day, right down to the tight bun and cate-eye glasses.

Complying, Athena sat on the stool facing the crowd of students as Professor McGonagall lowered the hat onto her head. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to lower her heart rate. The adrenaline coursing through her was causing her pulse to beat like a bass drum in her ears.

A raspy laugh filled her head. _Well this is a first for me, how exciting! An American at Hogwarts_!

 _That will NOT be my defining characteristic_ , she thought back bitterly. People had begun using her nationality as a label. Even that greasy Malfoy kid called her Yankee, attempting to demean her.

 _Oh indeed, indeed..._ mused the raspy voice, _you'd do nicely in Slytherin_.

Athena confirmed the voice in her head was the Sorting Hat and satisfied her curiosity from the first time she read _Hogwarts: A History_ by learning this was the method the hat used to sort students: reading their minds.

 _Very good, very good! Perhaps Ravenclaw would suit you as well? No, I think not. I think Slytherin would best suit the ambition I see in you, but there is also the peculiarity of your presence here._

Athena agreed with the Sorting Hat's assessment and agreed Slytherin was the best fit for her, but the hat also saw the intense conflict raging within her because of her background, what she knew, and the effect of her presence here. Unless Dumbledore could send her back to the future, she would be forced to remain here, watch a war that she'd studied happen before her very eyes, and she would lose even more friends.

 _You are braver than you know, child. Just because you do not come from this time does not mean you do not belong to this time._

Athena didn't even bother trying to suppress her thought that that was _exactly_ what that meant. She also wasn't sure how long they'd been sitting there, but by the faces in the crowd that began turning to one another to whisper, she could tell this wasn't a common occurrence.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed suddenly.

The table directly in front of her on the left burst into cheers and she could see the Weasley twins pumping their fists in the air, whooping and hollering. Professor McGonagall removed the hat from Athena's head and allowed the new Gryffindor to join her house. She ran over to where the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were to join them. Once she'd taken her seat she was welcomed by members of her house with hugs and handshakes.

Professor Dumbledore announced that they'd had quite a bit of excitement and wasted no time in announcing that dinner be served. Platters of different foods instantly appeared on the tables in front of the students' eyes. At Ilvermorny, meals were buffet-style, so this came as a shock to Athena. She was too hungry to ask questions and luckily so were those around her. Sampling several of the dishes in front of her, Athena settled in to her first meal at Hogwarts – her first meal as a Gryffindor.


	8. House of Gold

A/N: Thanks as always!

 **Chapter 8: House of Gold**

When the students had been sufficiently stuffed full of dinner and dessert, the tables cleared in the same way the food appeared, and the Headmaster rose from his seat at the head table to speak from a podium at the front of the room. It didn't take very long for the students to notice and hush their conversations to listen to what their headmaster was about to announce. Athena, and most of Gryffindor for that matter, had been listening to sixth year Angelina Johnson's summer holiday exploring Southern France for the last half hour and she was glad for a reprieve from the tale. Athena's growing disinterest in Angelina's holiday combined with the impossible amount of food she consumed were not helping the heaviness weighing on her eyelids.

Dumbledore's calm tone only worsened the problem as he gave words of welcome and warning to the new and returning students. Athena made out something about the Forbidden Forest being, well, for lack of a better word, forbidden and that a list of contraband items could be found on the door of someone named Filch's office. The next thing that came out of Dumbledore's mouth sent Athena's brain into a frenzy.

"It is with regret that I inform you all that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

A roar of anger erupted from the Weasley twins sitting across the table from her accompanied by other disgruntled cries from students throughout the Hall. Dumbledore merely raised a hand to quiet the commotion, indicating he wasn't quite finished.

The headmaster continued, "this is due to an event that will be taking place starting in October. It is a great pleasure to announce that this year the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

Whatever happened next, Athena didn't know because a splitting headache ripped through her head, blurring her vision and making her ears ring. A memory of Professor Barlett's European History of Magic class forced its way into her mind. Towards the end of the course, the material focused on more recent history and Professor Bartlett heavily emphasized the events of the Wizarding War of Great Britain.

 _"After a 300-year hiatus the Triwizard Tournament, a competition consisting of three tasks or challenges between three wizarding schools, was revived and took place at Hogwarts from 1994-1995. Now, who can tell me why this is significant?" Professor Bartlett asked from a lectern in the front of the classroom._ _Athena's hand shot up, "Professor, it was the last Triwizard Tournament."_ _"Correct Ms. Mayall, but why?" the Professor pressed._ _This was one of the few times Athena was ashamed to know the answer, but she delivered it with conviction, "because the Hogwarts champion died and it marked the return of the dark wizard Voldemort."_ _"Excellent, but there are a few other reasons this particular tournament was significant..."_

Professor Bartlett's words became fuzzy and garbled and Athena couldn't make out she was saying anymore. The memory and Athena's headache faded from view, and she was back in her seat in the Great Hall where students were still listening to Dumbledore explain what the tournament involved. She racked her brain for the information Professor Bartlett shared in class that day and wondered why she couldn't remember.

She was able to recall that the other two schools were Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute, but nothing more about the details of the tournament or the reason that her former professor seemes to think was just as important as the return of the darkest wizard in history. The return of the darkest wizard in history. She had to tell Dumbledore and there might be a chance that he'd be able to stop it! She couldn't at the moment, for obvious reasons, and she focused her attention back on the older wizard just in time to hear:

"The delegations from Beaxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving at the end of October, and on Halloween the Champions will be selected by an impartial judge. Eager as all of you may be to enter this tournament, the Ministry of Magic in conjunction with the heads of the other participating schools have agreed that, due to the nature of this tournament, only students who have come of age – that is, seventeen years of age or older – will be allowed to put forward their name," once again shouts of outrage filled the Great Hall.

The interruption did not phase the headmaster.

"I will personally ensure that no underage student interferes with our impartial judge to make themselves Hogwarts' champion. I beg you now not to waste your time trying to enter if you are under seventeen."

Dumbledore informed the students that the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be staying at Hogwarts for the duration of the tournament, and requested that they show their foreign guests courtesy and respect before sending them off to bed. As students began rising from their seats and made their way to the entrance of the Hall, Athena paused to think about what just happened and how she was going to tell Dumbledore. She caught the emerald green eyes of Harry Potter looking at her with interest, and when he saw that she noticed he turned quickly to Hermione to whisper something furiously in her ear.

Whatever that was about had to wait because she knew if she didn't follow the other Gryffindor students she would surely get lost. Once the crowd of students moved into the entrance hall, students wearing yellow and green broke off to take stairwells leading downwards, while blue and red headed upwards. This was another difference between Hogwarts and Ilvermorny, Athena mentally noted. At Ilvermorny, all students of the same age share a dormitory and attend classes with their respective houses.

Following the crowds of red up the stairs, Athena observed the incredible architectural magic used to make the stairwells swing and switch in different directions every few minutes. The stairwell was lined with portraits of witches and wizards, many of whom attended or taught at the magnificent castle at one point in their lives. Her awe was replaced by shock when the sudden feeling of water and an icy chill overtook her. A squealing cackle rippled through the echoing stairwell accompanied by the laughter of students.

The ghostly shadow of a little man with wickedly slanted, orange eyes, dressed in loud outdated and obscure clothes complete with a jingling bell-covered hat and disheveled orange bow tie floated into view holding what looked like water balloons. The only thing that comforted Athena was seeing a few Ravenclaw students that were also victims to this attack.

"The Weasel-clones told Peeves-y there was an American at Hogwarts who needed a welcome, and Peeves was glad to oblige," the spirit said juggling the remaining balloons he had. Those Weasley twins were going to suffer whenever Athena got to the Gryffindor dormitory. Athena was already an outsider as a transfer student, and she didn't need more attention drawn to her than she already had.

"That's just Peeves, "Ron told her as he, Harry, and Hermione joined her on the stairwell, "he's a poltergeist and can be a right git when he wants to be."

"Bless you?" Athena looked at the younger Weasley, who looked back at her confused.

Athena had no idea whether he sneezed mid-sentence, or if he didn't what a "git" was. The British slang was tough to follow, and she had been making an effort to try to learn some but it still gave her trouble.

"Sorry, American," she said pointing to herself obviously before drawing her wand to cast a drying charm on herself. "What exactly is a git?"

Ron only gaped at Athena in disbelief.

Hermione, luckily enough, stepped in to provide a definition, comparing a git to what she grew up calling a "jerk." Why couldn't they just say jerk?! Harry was unusually silent compared to how open and extroverted he appeared at the Burrow for the past few days and kept glancing at Athena suspiciously.

Suppressing her annoyance, Athena asked him if everything was okay. He shook off whatever mood settled over him and gave her a fake smile, nodding in the affirmative. "Just tired," he muttered as they came to a stop in front of a large portrait of a very fat woman dressed in pink. Just to the side of the portrait was a tall, willowy, olive-skinned girl with light brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail. On her robes was a shiny pewter pin, similar to the one Cedric wore, and Athena guessed she might be a Gryffindor prefect.

"Welcome, everyone. I'm Amelia Horrocks, seventh year prefect. This is the entrance to Gryffindor Tower and you are not allowed, under any circumstances, to tell students from the other houses about its location nor the password." She paused to look carefully at the first years in front of her before saying clearly and carefully, "it is your responsibility to remember the password, which is 'Balderdash.'"

Then the portrait swung open, allowing the students to pile into a large common area decorated with themes of red and gold. Soft-looking sofas were arranged about the large fireplace burning bright with fresh flames and filling the room with warmth. She just barely heard the girl, Amelia, announce that timetables would be distributed by their Head of House, Professor McGonagall, the following morning at breakfast before sending them off to bed.

Once dismissed most students headed directly to a stone stairwell which branched off into two smaller stairwells, the entrance to the individual dorms. Athena wanted to introduce herself to the prefect before heading to bed, and as a fellow seventh year, it would benefit her to become friendly with her roommates. The tanned girl smiled brightly when she saw Athena approaching.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!" the prefect uttered excitedly embracing Athena in a hug.

Athena attempted introducing herself, but was informed that the Head Boy and Girl let all the prefects know on the train about Hogwarts' newest student. Amelia took her by the hand, leading her over to the sofas in front of the fireplace where 3 older male students congregated discussing the upcoming Triwizard Tournament excitedly.

"Are you going to enter?" one asked.

"Nah, mum'll 'ave me 'ead if I don't do well on N.E.W.T.s," another chimed in.

"Mate, I can't wait for those French birds to get here, I bet they're something else compared to Hogwarts girls."

With a loud, offended cough to clear her throat Amelia announced their presence and the three boys looked to her. "Gents," she announced pushing Athena in front of her, "I'd like to officially introduce you to Athena Mayall."

"Athena these are Gryffindor's finest, and only, seventh year boys Ryan Henry," she pointed to the chubby, dark-blonde boy sprawled across the sofa, "this is Kenneth Towler, another prefect" identifying the dark-skinned boy with a neatly buzzed haircut, whose athletic build and sculpted face reminded her of a muggle soccer player she loved when she was younger. Amelia turned Athena to face a boy of average height with fair skin layered auburn hair, alert, wide dark blue eyes, and a well-defined square jaw who stood from his seat in front of the fire to take Athena's hand and touch a kiss to it.

"Justin Callaghan, miss," he murmured in an Irish accent, "it's an honor to have the girl with the longest hatstall in the last decade in our house." He gave her a wolfish smile before Amelia batted his hand away before dragging Athena over to a loveseat to sit.

"He's a flirt," Amelia cautioned, "but he's mostly harmless."

"Yeah Cal, don't be such a ponce!" teased Ryan, sitting up from his lounging position.

In a deep velvety voice, Kenneth addressed Athena, "So, Miss America, what do you think of Hogwarts so far?" She inwardly snickered at the title, she was no beauty queen, but she doubted he knew what the muggle beauty pageant even was. The rest of the group looked at her curiously, waiting to see what her answer would be.

"It's better than I ever imagined," she sighed dreamily. "Everyone has been so helpful and understanding here, except for Snape, he was just unpleasant." They all chuckled at that.

"What did you say to me before?" she asked Justin, Cal, as Ryan called him. "Something about a hatstall? What's that?"

He opened his mouth to answer when out of nowhere Hermione Granger appeared. "It's when the Sorting Hat has a difficult time placing a student. Athena, I've just confirmed you beat the record set by Professor McGonagall by eleven seconds!" The younger, bushy- haired teenager looked red-faced and out of breath, like most people do after vigorous exercise not vigorous reading. Cal huffed in annoyance at being interrupted, but didn't add anything further.

"What did it say to you?" Ryan probed and the group seemed to lean closer in anticipation of her answer. She knew from her reading and the discussion she had at the Weasleys' that it wouldn't be smart to let them know the hat wanted to place her in their rival's house: Slytherin. That would only serve to make her new housemates unwary and could complicate her ability to go through this school year peacefully.

Luckily Hermione saved the day by announcing that it was none of their business anyway and all of them should probably head to bed, then turned on her heel to go to the girls' dormitories. Not a second after, Amelia let out a huge yawn, and agreed with the younger girl. They could continue their conversation in the morning. Grabbing Athena by the hand once more she shouted a loud good night to the seventh-year boys who showed no inclination they were heading to bed.

Athena added a, "it was nice meeting you," while her new roommate dragged her up the stairs.

"For the last six years, it's only been me and Patti," Amelia rambled, "Patricia Stimpson, our other roommate. She's barely around, close friend with the Hufflepuffs, doesn't talk much, but she's an alright roommate. Me, personally, I'm excited to have someone to talk to. Patti doesn't talk much, you see. Oh, Athena, you're a breath of fresh air. Fresh American air. I'm so glad you've been sorted into Gryffindor."

The exuberant girl continued rambling until they reached a wooden door with a bronze number 7 on it. Amelia opened the door to reveal a circular room with three beds with crimson bedding and matching drapes, evenly spaced and pointing to the center of the room. Amelia bounded over to the bed on the right, opening the trunk at the foot of the bed to retrieve a pair of red and white polka dotted pajamas. She pointed to a lighter wooden door to the right of the one they'd entered and noted that toilets and showers were through there. Amelia excused herself and slipped inside to change.

The bed adjacent to the bathroom – the 'loo' as Ginny had referred to it the last few days – had its curtains drawn, leaving Athena to conclude that their other roommate, Patti, was already asleep. Looking around, Athena noticed her case which had been enlarged at the foot of the bed directly opposite the door she and Amelia entered. On top of it were 3 parcels wrapped in brown paper, similar to the one Professor Snape had given her earlier in the evening. Spare uniforms, she hoped.

Atop the paper-wrapped parcels was a folded bit of parchment with her name scrawled across it. She opened the folded parchment which revealed a note from Professor McGonagall, her Head of House, which read:

 _Ms. Mayall,_ _Welcome to Gryffindor House. Please meet with me tomorrow morning at 8:15 to discuss which N.E.W.T. level classes you'd like to take. Once you've chosen your classes, you will be provided with the appropriate texts, and escorted to Hogsmeade Village to purchase any additional materials you may need._ _Yours Sincerely,_ _Professor Minerva McGonagall_

As soon as she finished reading the note a light tapping sound startled her. To the left of her bed she could make out a greyish mass just outside the window. Moving toward the window cautiously the mass became clearer, taking the shape of an owl. It took a few moments of Athena fumbling with the latches before she was able to open the window just enough for the fluffy grey owl to perch on the sill with an exasperated hoot.

"Hey, it's not my fault they haven't updated the hardware in more than a hundred years, buddy," she directed at the owl. Attached to the bird's leg was a rolled piece of parchment and as soon as Athena untied the message the bird took off, leaving the tower window. Owls were definitely more majestic than the crows and pigeons many people in the U.S. used to send their mail.

Athena remembered how archaic and outdated she thought the whole system was, and was jealous of her siblings who had cell-phones back in 2018. They were able to communicate instantly with their friends, family, and colleagues by using the device. Unfortunately, the way magic affects electricity makes it impossible to use the technology in the wizarding world, barring two-way mirrors or the floo system.

Thinking about her family caused Athena's eyes to burn and well with hot tears. Did they miss her or even know she was gone? Was time still moving 24 years from now? Were they even in existence? She hadn't thought about any of that until now. How could she be missing a family she no longer has, or more accurately, didn't have yet?

She wiped under her eyes to rub away streaks of black eyeliner than ran down her cheeks leaving dark traces of where her tears had been. Taking a deep breath, Athena composed herself and closed the window. She took a seat near the foot of her bed before unrolling the bit of parchment that was just delivered. She had no way of knowing it was even meant for her, but the way the last week of her life had gone left her feeling like nothing could surprise her anymore.

A simple message in elegant script said, " _When I have something important on my mind, I find a walk about the grounds before breakfast does the trick._ "

Instructions, but from who? McGonagall would've just included it in her note and the only other staff member she met that evening was Snape, who she doubted would be sending this message. Maybe it was from Hermione or Ginny, even Harry. That would explain why he was acting strangely after dinner, maybe he noticed how anxious she was and didn't know what to say in person. She'd seen his owl, Hedwig, earlier that day and she was a beautiful snowy white owl, not the puff-ball of grey feathers that appeared at the window.

At that point, her eyes were feeling heavier than they had all day and her neurons were no longer firing on all cylinders. She would find out for herself in the morning who sent the note.

Rolling up the piece of parchment she tucked the message into the drawer of the nightstand situated on the left of her bed. She removed her wand from the pocket of her school robes and placed it on the nightstand before she sleepily stood up to retrieve her Thunderbird quidditch shirt and a pair of shorts from her suitcase to wear as pajamas.

Athena changed and climbed into bed, settling under the warm blankets. Amelia, just getting into bed herself, announced she was going to douse the lamps and bid Athena good night. Athena returned her good night, but instead of laying her head on the pillow as she desperately wanting to she grabbed her wand from the nightstand and pointed it at the watch on her left wrist.

Remembering she needed to set an alarm she whispered, " _tempus lituus_." With the lights out it was difficult to see, but a second pair of hands appeared on the watch face. Athena adjusted the new set of hands to 6:15, that way she would be up early enough to discover who sent her the mysterious note before beginning her first full day at Hogwarts. She placed the wand back on her nightstand and let her head rest upon the pillow, finally allowing herself to fall asleep.


	9. Memories

**Chapter 9: Memories**

The following morning Athena was woken by the intense vibration of her watch. She was taught that particular charm in her fourth year at Ilvermorny by her former quidditch captain, Brett Dunforth, who decided that the most effective time to hold practices was at 5:45 in the morning. That way none of the other teams would be able to spy on their practices, at least, none of the other teams would want to. The rising sun bathed the dorm in a dim light, but it was just bright enough for Athena to change into a set of school robes, complete with a Gryffindor tie, and get ready for her walk around the grounds to find the mystery author of the note she received.

Grabbing her wand from the bedside table she descended the stairs into an empty Gryffindor common room. She checked her watch, 6:27, perfect. Breakfast didn't begin until 7:00, and she doubted anyone would be in the Great Hall before 7:30 on the first day of classes. Athena left the empty common room and strolled into the hallway hoping she would remember her way back to the Entrance Hall. She paused, trying to remember which way the group of Gryffindors came from the previous night before. She decided to go to the left and soon found the corridor leading to the moving staircases.

The magic in this building was phenomenal, and Athena marveled at how even the stairs moved sluggishly, as if they were also just waking up. Descending several flights, she found herself in an open area with a high ceiling, two sets of impossibly large wooden doors sat opposite from each other, one leading to the Great Hall and the others outside. One set of doors had a slightly smaller set of doors cut into them, doors leading outside to the grounds. Facing that set of doors in the middle of the room, a large sculpture of a wild boar sat with the school crest between its front legs. Athena read the inscription aloud, " _draco dormiens nunquam titallandus_."

"Never tickle a sleeping dragon," the voice of Albus Dumbledore said from behind her, "wise advice, don't you think, Ms. Mayall?"

She stepped back from the statue to greet the headmaster who was sporting an eye-catching set of plum robes with stitched vines of sea-foam green climbing the sleeves like ivy. The man was either extremely confident or senile, but Athena couldn't imagine anyone else being able to pull off the look besides Dumbledore.

"I was just about to take a turn about the grounds," the professor mentioned gesturing to the set of doors leading outside. "Would you care to join me?"

"I'd like that, thank you," Athena said, the cogs spinning wildly in her brain to come to the conclusion it was most likely Dumbledore that sent her the unsigned note.

Following the headmaster through the doors, Athena stepped into the light fog that clung close to the earth, but left a majority of the surrounding area still visible. She already thought the scenery was impressive when she arrived the previous evening, but seeing it all in the daytime was a different experience entirely.

To their left, at the bottom of a set of stairs set into the hillside, was a hut that had a weak trail of smoke rising from a chimney, remnants of a previous fire drifting away from the small dwelling. Dumbledore began down a path to the right which lead to a lake with water so dark it reminded Athena of the middle of an ocean. Farther along that path, Athena's eyes found a familiar sight, with two sets of three rings: the quidditch pitch.

"I am very sorry there won't be any quidditch this year." She wondered if he noticed her looking longingly at the pitch. He continued, "I've been told you're quite talented."

"I'm alright," Athena said modestly. As much as she'd like to discuss quidditch there was something more pressing on her mind.

Tentatively she probed, "Professor..." She looked at the older wizard walking alongside her. Neither of them stopped or slowed their pace, but continued on the path bringing them closer to the lake.

"There's something I need to tell you about the tournament."

"I thought there might be," he hummed. "That's why I asked you to meet with me this morning. Now, go on, what is it that I should know?"

She told the headmaster about her headache the previous evening, the memory of Professor Bartlett's class, how her memory seemed to be getting fuzzier and more unclear the harder she tried to focus on it. In fact, her other memories were getting fuzzier and hard to remember too. He listened intently, nodding along with the details as she mentioned them.

"Sir," she said, concern lacing her tone, "the reason I need to tell you this is because the end of this tournament marks the return of Voldemort."

Just as she'd delivered the piece of information, the two arrived at the sandy shore of the lake. Professor Dumbledore paused his step, looking thoughtfully over the horizon where the warm orange glow of the rising sun was beginning to spread. Athena waited in silence wondering what to do next. Perhaps he thought she was too unstable to remain at Hogwarts and he'd have her sent back to St. Mungos, or maybe to the British wizarding prison...Azkaban?

"You are certain of this." It wasn't a question.

"I wish I weren't, believe me, Professor," lowering her head in shame. There was no good way to say that you knew the darkest wizard of all time was going to return at the end of the school year.

He nodded seriously, asking her if there was anything else she wanted to tell him. She repeated her concern over her memory, which she never had a problem with before. That's how she was able to perform so well in History of Magic, she retained important events and dates without much effort, but now was straining her mind to recall these facts. The headmaster assured her he would contact his colleagues in the field of time magic to find out what he could about this particular problem. She accepted that for now.

"Ms. Mayall, I believe that it would be wise if you did not submit your name for the Triwizard Tournament given your knowledge of the event," the headmaster advised. Part of her was upset the chance was being taken from her, but a voice in her mind reminded her that she was never supposed to have this chance in the first place.

She was _supposed_ to be starting her final year at Ilvermorny. She was _supposed_ to be leading her quidditch team to victory. She was _supposed_ to be home, in her own time, with her family and friends, and living the life she planned for herself. What was she supposed to do now that her fate was uncertain? What if she would never see her family again? What was she supposed to do now?

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it, Ms. Mayall."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Ms. Mayall, please do not forget to live while you're alive, even though it may not be the life you planned for."

His blue eyes twinkled, as if he knew more than he was letting on. "Now," he chimed, clasping his hands in front of him, "I do believe breakfast has begun. Thank you for joining me this morning, best be off before Miss Horrocks calls a search party for her new roommate."

Athena laughed at the remark before she returned to the castle following the same path she had just come down. She hoped she did the right thing by telling Dumbledore what she knew, and that maybe things would turn out differently. She decided she would take his advice and continue to live her life, although it wasn't according to her plans.

During breakfast, Amelia introduced Athena to their roommate Patti. She was very short, even by Athena's standards, at barely five feet tall and had very fair skin, noticeably marked by acne. Patti wore her straight honey-blonde hair in a bob, lifelessly hanging just below her chin. Rectangular, wire-framed glasses rested on her small, pointed nose and she smiled politely throughout the introduction. Patti was nice, but as Amelia previously mentioned, was very quiet and seemed nervous when Athena asked her questions about herself. Athena noted Patti was very un-Gryffindor in this way, but bravery did not always require a show of force so Athena did not discount her roommate.

Students slowly trickled into the Great Hall to receive their timetables for the upcoming year. Amelia mentioned that in their sixth year they'd chosen N.E.W.T classes based on O.W.L. scores and the careers they wanted to pursue. They didn't take O.W.L.s at Ilvermorny, but rather at the end of their sixth year would apply to be considered for a predetermined N.E.W.T. program for Healers, Aurors, and other careers. For uncommon careers and interests, the student could propose an independent path of study that their Head of House had to approve.

Athena's desire to pursue a career in Magical Law was uncommon compared to the sheer number of students that wanted to be Healers, Aurors, or work in a specific MACUSA branch like the Department of Magical Sports or the Department of Muggle Affairs. Athena was able to develop her own class schedule including an independent study in the office of a local magi-jurist for class credit. It was unlikely she would have the same opportunity at Hogwarts, but she was not going to give up on that dream.

When it came time for her meeting with Professor McGonagall she wasn't sure what to expect. Athena told the Transfiguration professor about her goal and was disheartened to find in the British system there were no formal magi-jurists as there were in America, but third parties could be nominated to represent defendants in many cases. The egotist that lived in her reminded her that she could be a leader and a first in the field, shaping magical jurisprudence and changing the British system forever. The thought gave her a rush of pride and determination, and she promised herself that she would do whatever it took to get there.

McGonagall was very blunt about the difficulty of N.E.W.T classes and worked with Athena to construct a timetable that met her education needs and skill.

At the conclusion of their meeting, Athena was satisfied with her timetable and made her way to the Entrance Hall to meet with whomever would be escorting her to Hogsmeade to pick up some books and supplies. She glanced down at the finalized timetable in her hands.

Monday – Double Charms 9:00-11:45 AM

Tuesday – History of Magic 10:30 –11:45 AM and Ancient Runes 2:30-3:45 PM

Wednesday – Transfiguration 9:00-10:15 AM and Double Defense Against the Dark Arts 1:00-3:45 PM

Thursday - History of Magic 10:30 –11:45 AM and Ancient Runes 2:30-3:45 PM

Friday – Transfiguration 10:30-11:45 AM

Looking at her wristwatch she saw that the first classes of the day at 9 were due to begin in five minutes. Luckily, it was Friday and Transfiguration didn't begin until 10:30. She would have a little over an hour to get her some supplies. Professor McGonagall informed her that her texts would be provided by her professors during their first lesson, including hers. Athena tapped the pocket of her robes where she had the remainder of the money she withdrew for her trip tucked away and hoped it would be enough for everything she needed.

Students of all ages were examining their own timetables, comparing classes, and running through the Entrance Hall desperate not to be late on the first day of class.

Athena was relieved that all the eyes that had been scrutinizing her last night were too busy to follow her around now as she watched all of them. Her eyes landed upon the large bearded man she saw calling out for the first years last evening. She didn't have much time to look at him then, but was now noticing he was roughly twice the size of a normal man and almost five times as wide. His black bushy hair blended into an equally wild beard. Somewhere within the mass of the large man's facial hair was a toothy grin when dark eyes met her own.

"'Ello there Miss Athena, innit?" He asked extending a hand the size of a trashcan lid to her.

Despite his intimidating stature, Athena got the feeling the man didn't have a frightening bone in his body. She returned his smile and shook – well she tried to- his hand.

"You must be Hagrid! Harry told me so much about you," she didn't miss the way the man's eyes lit up when she mentioned the Boy Who Lived.

"Funny' 'nough, Miss Athena, I was gonna tell the the same!" He let out a hearty laugh that rumbled the floor beneath them.

After their short introduction Hagrid instructed Athena that he was going to escort her to the wizarding village of Hogsmeade, but they only had an hour before her first class so they would have to make it quick. He also assured her that money need not be an issue, and that the school prepared for situations where students may not have the finances necessary to get the necessary supplies for one reason or another. She didn't need much, only a backpack and some stationary. She was lucky there were a few ballpoint pens in her suitcase, lest she be forced to write with a quill and parchment.

She was hoping somewhere in the village she could find muggle-style writing utensils and notebooks. Ilvermorny was far more progressive than Hogwarts when it came to basic office supplies. Only the very old, traditional professors continued using quills and parchment and even then, they allowed their students to use pens and loose-leaf paper for assignments. It was neater and made grading assignments easier on the professors. Here, she would at least need to have parchment for formal assignments and essays.

The walk to the village did not take too long, approximately fifteen minutes, according to Athena's watch. It was unlike anything Athena had ever seen, and was the only all-wizarding village in all of Great Britain. Shops lined either side of an elevated main road, each unique it its own way. A few that caught Athena's eye were Gladrag's Wizardwear (which she recognized because there was also an outlet in Boston), Zonko's joke shop with its brightly painted exterior, but most importantly in the direction they were heading was Scrivenshaft's Quill's and Stationary. Hagrid had been so excited on their short journey informing Athena about all the small stores in the village as well as the Shrieking Shack, which he assured her she's see one day during a school Hogsmeade trip.

Hagrid said he would wait outside for Athena while she purchased her supplies and handed her a small sack of coins. She didn't need them, per se, but thought it may be a good idea to save her own money in case of an emergency. As soon as she opened the door to the small establishment she was overwhelmed by the smells of parchment, dust, and the distinctive iron-like scent of India ink. The shop was neat and well-lit despite the overwhelming smell of dust. In the center of the shop was a long glass case, like one would find in a jewelry store, containing several intricately designed quills and feathers of many colors and origins.

"Good morning, miss, may I help you find anything today?" came a scratchy voice from behind her.

The owner of said voice was a man who looked to be about one hundred and thirty-seven years old, with short silver hair coiffed to the left of a years-old part. Instead of traditional wizarding robes, the older gentleman sported a muggle three-piece suit of navy blue, complimented by a silver tie and pocket square, and the silver chain of a pocket watch peering out from underneath his coat, tucked into the buttoned vest underneath. He must have been a Ravenclaw in his school days.

"Actually, sir, I was wondering if you had any muggle-style writing instruments," she asked hopefully.

The man looked deep in thought, but raised a hand before walking surprisingly fast to the rear of the shop through a burgundy curtain. He returned with a small grey box and set it down on the counter in front of Athena. Opening the lid, she saw inside two sleek black fountain pens, one with a golden nib and the other silver. Each pen had a design of light green ivy winding around it. They were beautiful.

"I've had these for a few years, but never managed to find the right buyer," he chuckled.

"I'll take them." She said confidently. A fountain pen was better than a quill any day.

In addition to the beautiful fountain pens, Athena also grabbed parchment, notebooks (which the owner also kept tucked away in the back), and a black messenger bag she could use to carry her books with her to and from class. Grand total: 12 Galleons, 4 Sickles. The most expensive items being the beautiful pens. The owner informed her the pens had internal inkwells that were refillable and each would last 2-3 months. Athena wondered why no one else had thought about investing in the pens because that seemed like a great deal.

She left the shop with her purchases and found Hagrid speaking to a blonde, curly haired woman outside of a building that looked like a restaurant – no, a pub – called the Three Broomsticks. She walked over to the gamekeeper and announced that she was done. Hagrid gestured to the woman he was talking to and introduced her as Madame Rosmerta, owner of the Three Broomsticks.

"I heard rumors there was a Yankee at Hogwarts this year and got worried," she confessed with a sly smirk. She continued, "you're alright though. You're welcome here anytime, lass."

Hagrid said their goodbyes to Madame Rosmerta before heading back to the castle. Athena still had time to run back to Gryffindor tower to deposit some of her school supplies before Transfiguration with McGonagall. So, when they arrived, she thanked Hagrid and promised she'd visit for tea sometime, at his request, before heading inside to prepare for her first day of classes.

 **A/N: this chapter kinda stunk, I know. My brain hasn't really been firing on all cylinders recently, so I'll try to make the next one better.** **Keep reading and reviewing!** **\- xThatsNotMyNamex**


	10. Unsteady

**Chapter 10: Unsteady**

The first week of classes seemed to fly by quicker than any Athena had ever experienced. Despite a few hiccups, like getting lost for the first few days, everything was going smoothly. She was right on track in Transfiguration and Ancient Runes and ahead in the curriculum for Charms and History of Magic, the latter of which she and Cedric Diggory were the only N.E.W.T. students, and she understood why. The professor was a ghost called Professor Binns, and the story goes that he died while teaching back in the 1970s but was so oblivious, that he didn't realize he'd died and just kept on lecturing. In any case, it allowed Cedric and Athena to get more acquainted and catch up on other things.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was unlike anything she could have imagined. Moody was a psychopath and she wasn't sure whether he should get admitted to St. Mungos or held in Akzaban. Their first day of class was a practical lesson on the three Unforgivable Curses, which most of the N.E.W.T. students were aware of, but had never seen in person. Athena felt bad for the spider Moody chose to use the curses on by means of example. No living creature should ever have to endure such suffering, and that's why the curses were Unforgivable – for Merlin's sake!

Other than Moody's class, Athena had been enjoying her first week at Hogwarts. The morning of Thursday, the 8th of September, began like every other morning. Athena got up and got ready with Amelia, the two would walk down to breakfast together, and join their housemates. Owls would come through periodically and drop letters or newspapers for various students. This morning was different because a brown Great Horned Owl dropped a very thick envelope right into Athena's lap as she was enjoying her toast.

Putting down her toast she lifted the envelope which read _ATHENA MAYALL_ in slanted scrawl. She wondered who it could be from while she carefully opened the envelope. She pulled out a piece of paper and a small pouch fell out with it. Placing the pouch on the table she unfolded the paper to read its contents.

 _Dear Athena,_

 _Happy 18th birthday! You didn't think I'd forget, did you? I know how hard it must be to be celebrating without your family this year, so I wanted to make sure you knew you were being thought of and that someone is wishing you well._ _Enough about that, though, I want to hear about your first week at Hogwarts!_

 _Congrats on Gryffindor! (Ginny told Mum, who told me – sorry) Welcome to the best house at Hogwarts! Tell me everything. How are classes? Anything interesting happening? Make any friends besides my weird brothers and sister?_

 _Your Friend,_

 _Charlie Weasley_

 _P.S. I hope you like the gift. A friend of mine studying in Africa sent it to me. It's from a Rwandan Rainbow Scale. Hope to hear from you soon!_

She ignored the pinch in her throat seeing the way he'd signed the letter, " _Your Friend_." She remembered what she told herself on the train and gave herself a little reality check.

With a deep sigh, Athena put down the letter and noticed the little pouch that she placed on the table was missing. She didn't have to look very far as Amelia was turning the contents out in her hands. Amelia let out an audible gasp and turned to Athena gushing, "this is gorgeous, who sent it to you?!"

Dangling from a simple silver chain in Amelia's hands was a remarkable shimmering dragon scale which hung like a pendant. It's many colors shifted and shimmered in the light as if looking through a prism or a kaleidoscope. It truly was a beautiful object and it caught the attention of those sitting around her in the Hall.

"Amelia, may I please have that?" Athena whispered urgently as others began to gather around too catch a glimpse of the necklace. "It's a birthday present."

The other girl handed over the necklace without realizing what Athena said. It wasn't until the unmistakable voice of their Irish friend Cal rang out, "it's yer birthday, lass?!" that Amelia turned to stare at Athena open mouthed.

"You didn't say anything!" she cried offended.

Athena just shrugged, "it's not a big deal." To which she received an unimpressed huff from Amelia.

"Friends tell friends these things," Amelia instructed very seriously. Athena's heart warmed genuinely when the Gryffindor girl called her 'friend.' It had only been a week, but Amelia treated her as though they'd known each other for years.

"We will celebrate this weekend," Amelia decided, "we'll throw a little shindig in Gryffindor tower and we'll really get to know each other better, right guys?!" Amelia looked expectantly at the Gryffindors in the immediate vicinity, anticipating approval.

Amelia then got to organizing the little party, something she expressed great interest in, and even told the Weasley twins she would turn a blind eye the next time they were late for curfew if they could arrange snacks and drinks in the mysterious way they did. Amelia suspected they'd found the kitchens years ago, but they'd had an understanding that in return for snacks, she wouldn't rat out the twins to Professor McGonagall.

When Amelia and most of the other older Gryffindors got up from their table to head off to Potions, Athena remained seated, unsure of how to kill the time between now and History of Magic. She wasn't bored for very long because Hermione Granger sat down across from her. Athena smiled at the younger girl.

"Happy birthday, Athena. Couldn't help but overhear Amelia."

"Thanks, 'Mione. Where are Harry and Ron?"

The younger Gryffindor seemed out of place without the other two members of her friend group nearby. Hermione responded with a groan, gesturing with a thumb further down the table where the boys in question were hunched over discussing something intensely. As if he knew they were being watched, Harry's eyes shifted to meet her own then narrowed. What the hell was his problem?

"Hermione?" Athena asked in a sickly-sweet voice. "Mind telling me why your friend has been giving me the stink eye since the welcome feast?" Nodding in Harry's direction.

Hermione let out a deep sigh shaking her head. Athena muttered, "he's about as subtle as a herd of buffalo," causing the younger girl to laugh.

"He's been a little on edge since the World Cup, and he thinks you're being here isn't a coincidence," she admitted.

Athena's eyes widened in realization. Harry thought she had something to do with the Dark Mark. She understood why: she was foreign, barely any family, brought into his life with little-to-no explanation at all. The boy had suffered his entire life from people hell-bent on killing him in different ways, but she definitely wasn't one of them. It's not like she could explain herself though. She promised Dumbledore she wouldn't tell anyone about it. She couldn't tell anyone, especially Harry. She hadn't been listening to what Hermione was saying and was too busy thinking of a plan to make Harry less suspicious of her.

"Athena?" the familiar drawl of Cedric Diggory hummed from behind her. She turned in her seat to see the Hufflepuff, bag slung over his shoulder, looking down at her curiously.

"Cedric," she breathed in relief, "that time already?"

He gave her a half-smile and nodded his head once toward Hermione. "Morning Granger, sorry I'll have to take her away. Professor Binns waits for no one."

Athena laughed at that because it was true. The ghost conducted lessons regardless if anyone was in the room. It was no wonder he died whilst lecturing. The man – now ghost – couldn't be stopped if they tried. Grabbing her bag, Athena stuffed the letter and necklace from Charlie inside before shouting a hurried goodbye to Hermione as she jogged to catch up with Cedric.

Thankfully, the lecture today was about spell-development legislation, something she'd studied before at Ilvermorny, so she felt alright zoning out and doing other things while Binns droned on. She kept a notebook open on her desk, making notes of important dates just in case they'd come in handy for an essay or exam, but spent most of the lesson bent over a piece of paper attempting to write a reply to Charlie.

 _Hey Charlie,_

 _Thank you for the beautiful birthday present, you really shouldn't have, but seeing how beautiful it is, I can't find it in my heart to return it to you. I guess I'll just have to wear it._ _Classes have been going well so far, nothing that I didn't already expect – except for History of Magic (which I'm in now as I write this letter) - Binns is so darn boring._

 _Luckily, I've gone over most of the material in his class before at Ilvermorny, so I think I'll be okay. Cedric Diggory is the only other person in this class with me, and he's been keeping me focused when Binns' droning gets to be too much_.

 _Other than_ _that, I'm upset that quidditch has been canceled this year for the silly Triwizard Tournament. Only idiots with a death wish will be stupid enough to put their name in for it. Not me, there is too much I want to do in this world that requires me being alive to do it. In any case, it should be interesting to watch._

 _I_ _look forward to hearing from you,_

 _Athena_

As Athena finished the final flourish on the last 'a', she saw a small piece of parchment folded on top of the open notebook she'd been ignoring. She looked at Cedric, the only plausible culprit, who appeared to be listening intently to the ghost-professor, but had a mischievous smirk gracing his lips. She unfolded the parchment which had only two words written on it in Cedric's neat cursive, _love letter_?

Athena took a moment before crafting her reply, _Nope. Thank you note_. Then, she slid the paper back over to the Hufflepuff. The two went back and forth for the remainder of the period.

 _Ah, I see. For something good?_

 _Birthday present._

 _Happy_ _Birthday, Athena_

 _Thanks_

 _So, you think I'm an idiot with a death wish?_

Shit. He'd been reading the letter she wrote to Charlie over her shoulder. What a snoop! She was more embarrassed that he thought she'd referred to him as an idiot.

 _Sorry. I'll take it you're planning to enter the Tournament_?

 _Yeah, I figure I'm smart enough not to get myself killed_. She gave the Hufflepuff a dirty look, which he returned with a wink.

She didn't get a chance to write another response before the bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson. Cedric quickly packed his things and left the room, leaving Athena to once again jog to catch up with him.

"Cedric!" she called out to the tall boy with unfairly long legs. "Please wait! I didn't mean it like that!"

He paused, allowing her to catch up. "How did you mean it?"

"I'm just a little bitter that I can't compete," she told him the truth. "Dumbledore's orders."

She hung her head in disappointment, she couldn't tell him the real reason why he'd ordered that, but she didn't feel comfortable weaving even more lies into this life she now had. He placed a hand on her shoulder and she looked into his caramel eyes which were swimming with sympathy and understanding.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "that isn't fair."

Feeling the need to change the subject she joked, "well imagine how the students would feel if an American got chosen to represent Hogwarts. I'd imagine they'd call for my expulsion!"

He chuckled and relaxed his shoulders, he'd forgiven the insult. "If it means anything," he said nervously bringing a hand to the back of his head to run it through his hair, "I've only known you a week, but I think you'd make a brilliant champion."

Her heart fluttered a little at the compliment, noticing the way his cheeks turned pink ever so slightly. Cedric really was a sweet guy, and he'd been nothing but nice to her ever since she arrived at Hogwarts, even offering to study with her for their first Transfiguration practical exam at the end of the month. She gave the Hufflepuff a bright smile and thanked him, while he waved it off as nothing.

They continued talking and walked together towards the Entrance Hall where Cedric was swept away by some of his friends, who invited her to join them for lunch. Athena politely declined, wanting to send her reply to Charlie before it got too late in the day and she'd be overrun with homework, but she'd promised the small gaggle of Hufflepuffs she'd join them another time before heading to the Owlery.

September quickly faded into October and the weeks were blending together as Athena began to feel more at home at Hogwarts. She became closer with the seventh-year Gryffindors following her birthday celebration and Cedric as her only History of Magic companion. He explained his desire to be a teacher required him to take the class at N.E.W.T. level, and Athena was glad for it. He made the dullness of Binns tolerable and shared a passion for Athena's favorite subject.

Harry Potter continued to keep Athena at an arms-length, which hurt because he'd been so welcoming at the Burrow just before term. As much as she wanted to assure the troubled teenager that she wasn't there to hurt him, she knew she couldn't in a way that wouldn't reveal her complicated origins. She'd met with Dumbledore again in late October, taking the same path down to the lake as they had only a month ago. A bitter chill settled into the early autumn morning and Athena made sure to clutch her robes close to her.

She told Dumbledore about Harry's treatment of her, but he only repeated his warning of keeping her secret. With the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations' presence came more potential complications with her knowledge. Dumbledore praised her ability to maintain a sense of normalcy despite having to shield a huge part of herself. How dare he say that? How dare he pretend like he knew what if felt like to feel out of place and out of time with the people she'd only read about in books. It was like falling into a novel knowing the ending, but having your favorite characters hate you and not knowing whether you might be able to change the outcome.

She found herself taking extra time to make her way back to the castle that morning after her chat with Dumbledore. It was Sunday, so many people were still in bed sleeping off the rest of their weekend before the welcome feast for the foreign schools. Athena was kicking around freshly fallen leaved of red and orange which covered the grounds. It wouldn't be long before snow would replace the autumn scene before her, and she was trying to enjoy being outside as much as she could before it arrived.

Moments like this reminded her of home. Fall in New England was unlike anything else in the world. Every tree burned bright with the colors of fall, like a smoldering fire of oranges, yellows, and the deepest reds. She remembered playing in the leaves with her sister when she was young, jumping into the neat piles their parents had just raked. She could almost smell the warm apple cider as if it were just within reach, and she could her mother telling her just how proud she was of her...

Hot tears burned her cheeks as she remembered these moments and wondered _if_ and when she would ever see her family again. She came to one of her favorite spots at Hogwarts, the hill beside the Whomping Willow, where she took a seat and watched the enchanted tree sway slightly, still sleeping. The first time she saw the willow, she witnessed in wonder as it violently thrashed and swung its branches. She wished for a moment she could be the willow and let out all the frustration she felt since arriving in 1994.

Fortunately, as the sun broke through the cloudy autumn sky, it warmed her skin and the earth around her. It didn't feel very long, but she must have been sitting in that spot for hours. Her meditation was interrupted by a series of shouts coming from the castle. Looking to the source of the noise she caught a flying object approaching the castle like a comet. Athena stood from her spot and jogged over to the courtyard where students were gathered.

The flying object inched closer, and Athena was able to determine that it was an oversized carriage being pulled by winged horses. Where are pegasus even found in the wild? Moreover, how did whoever found them manage to wrangle six of them?!

"Athena! Where have you been?!" she heard Amelia before she saw the Gryffindor, and when she did the other girl latched on to her in a tight hug.

"I looked everywhere for you! You weren't in the dorm, not in the library, nor the Great Hall. Where in Morgana's name have you been hiding?!"

Athena liked her friend, but the helicoptering nature of Amelia's friendship was grinding her patience extremely thin. Taking a deep breath, Athena calmed herself before addressing her roommate.

"I went for a walk this morning and lost track of time, no need to worry," she explained. Amelia's shoulders visibly relaxed.

"Good timing though, Beauxbatons just arrived," the prefect informed her as the carriage came to a halt. Seemingly out of nowhere, Professor Dumbledore swept through the crowd to greet the passengers of the just-landed carriage. An extremely tall woman, approximately eight – eight and a half, maybe – feet tall, exited the carriage followed by approximately thirty female students dressed in delicate blue silk uniforms. As soon as they stepped into the Scottish air, they began shivering.

Noticing Hermione nearby, Athena made her way over to the younger girl, who she'd become rather close with and remarked, "I suppose zey deed not prepare for ze cold, eh?"

As the Beauxbatons ladies were being ushered indoors, Ron who'd been standing on Hermione's other side let out a snort and even Harry tried to suppress a smile once he realized who had made the remark. Athena wished she could be honest with him, if only to reassure the poor boy that she wasn't there to kill him.

"The lake! Look at the lake!" cried Lee Jordan, one of the twins' friends.

Athena looked at what seemed like a small dingy, but with every second it traveled closer to the shore it rose from the water producing a large wooden ship sporting a black flag with some red detail she couldn't make out. It resembled pirate ships she'd read about in muggle history books. A part of her hoped whoever captained the ship looked like Jack Sparrow. That would certainly make their arrival spectacular, and fulfill one of Athena's teenage fantasies.

She couldn't help but sing an old tune under her breath, " _we're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho_..."

Athena was so distracted by the possibility of handsome, yet fictional, pirates that she didn't notice the odd look Hermione gave her. Athena's eyes focused on the two lines of men who marched off the ship and up the path to the castle. No pirates, only Eastern European boys. Not all dreams come true, she thought.

Later that evening, the schools gathered in the Great Hall for a feast to welcome Durmstrang who sat with the Slytherins and Beauxbatons who sat at the end of the Ravenclaw table. Platters of different cuisines from the different schools' home countries appeared for dinner. Bouillabaisse, pierogies, sauerkraut and sausages, coq au vin, and escargot were some of the things Athena indulged in that evening. She loved food and she loved trying the foods of different cultures. She was enjoying herself despite the emotional day she had.

After dinner Dumbledore introduced the Heads of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, Igor Karkaroff and Madame Maxime respectively. Additionally, the headmaster identified two men, Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch, who helped organize the tournament and would also serve as judges for each task. Each briefly spoke about the Ministry Departments of International Co-operation's and Games and Sports's role in the tournament. During the speeches, Mr. Filch, who Athena came to know and loathe, was wheeling in a large wooden case. Dumbledore reminded the students that a champion would be chosen from each of the schools by an impartial judge, then pointed his wand at the wooden case. The paneling on the outside fell away to reveal a large stone chalice which held a brilliant blue flame.

"The Goblet of Fire," the Headmaster's voice thundered through the Great Hall. "Students wishing to enter must drop their names into the Goblet, and tomorrow evening the worthiest entrants shall be chosen to compete as Triwizard Champions."

Dumbledore then reminded the Hogwarts students that no student under the age of seventeen was allowed to enter and drew an age line around the enchanted artefact. He wished the students a good night and good luck to those wishing to enter the tournament. The Hall erupted into excited chatter about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament's official beginning as students began to make their way to their respective dormitories.

Athena couldn't help but overhear some of the conversations. Fred and George discussing an aging potion with their friend Lee, while the sixth-year, Angelina Johnson, bragged that she turned seventeen just last week and would be entering. Ryan and Kenneth were encouraging Cal to put his name in for consideration, and Amelia was rambling about what she'd do with the winnings. She'd made it clear to her friends over the last two months that she was too focused on doing well in her classes to worry about the tournament, but promised to be supportive if any of them were chosen.

When she finally made it to bed that evening a horrible sense of anxiety settled in her stomach and the blurry memory of Professor Bartlett's class kept replaying over and over in her head. She had been desperately trying to remember the missing piece of the memory, but every time she was unsuccessful. She lay awake all night, unable to shake the feeling of worry that consumed her. Something was going to happen in the Triwizard Tournament – something big.


	11. Just Like Fire

**A/N: Glad more people started following this! Thanks! Leave a review and let me know what you think!**

 ***I had to re-upload this so many times because the format went whacky on me**

Chapter 11: Just Like Fire

After a restless night and double Charms Athena wasn't sure this Halloween Monday could be any worse, but then Professor Flitwick assigned an essay on the Fidelius Charm. All she wanted to do was find a corner to crawl into a ball and take a nap, but Amelia dragged her to the Great Hall to begin their essays and watch people enter their names into the Goblet of Fire. Sure enough, several Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students filtered through, depositing folded pieces of parchment into the blue flames.

At some point in the afternoon the two seventh-years were joined by Hermione Granger. Athena noticed that Harry and Ron chose to sit a few feet away from them, most likely because the Boy Who Lived was still suspicious of Athena. Athena took a break from describing the etymology of the incantation to watch the occasional student enter the Hall and approach the Goblet of Fire. The afternoon grew more entertaining when the Weasley twins waltzed into the Great Hall, each holding a vial of electric blue liquid. Athena recognized the ageing potion from a mile away.

"It's not going to wo-ork," Hermione sang from beside Athena. The fourth-year had been more silent than usual until then.

"Why's that, Granger?" Fred asked, waggling his ginger eyebrows while his brother mimicked the face.

She went onto explain that they witnessed Dumbledore draw the age line himself, and that the greatest wizard of all time couldn't possibly be fooled by something as, "pathetically dimwitted as an ageing potion."

"That's exactly why our plan is brilliant-" Fred started.

"-because it's so pathetically dimwitted!" George finished before the brothers raised their vials in a toast.

Their efforts were in vain, because once they crossed the age line they were thrust backwards from the goblet, landing in a heap. When they began to sit up, long white beards sprouted from their faces and when the twins realized they had failed they began to wrestle. Their fighting only ceased when Professor Dumbledore, who passed by the doors of the Great Hall, paused to admire their beards and sent them off to the Hospital Wing.

Athena determined that was enough of a break and turned her attention back to the essay she just barely started. Almost immediately after, her attention was drawn to several whoops and hollers coming into the Hall. A determined Cedric Diggory strode into the Hall flanked by his cheering friends, a taller pale boy with long dark hair and a shorter brunette with olive skin, and walked deliberately to the Goblet of Fire. He dropped the parchment with his name into the goblet and his friends wrapped him in a congratulatory embrace.

When his friends released him, he spotted Athena sitting nearby and, to her embarrassment, caught her staring. He said something to his friends quickly before the small group of Hufflepuffs made their way to table where the Gryffindor girls were attempting to do homework. Athena dropped her eyes back to her essay, hoping Cedric would get the hint and leave her alone.

"Oi Ced, what do you think is in the water up in Gryffindor tower?" Cedric's friend with shaggy straight black hair asked loudly. He sat next to Amelia who was sitting with her back toward them and hadn't seen them coming. "Hufflepuff birds just can't compare."

The boy gave Amelia a cheeky grin and a wink, to which she burst into laughter. His face fell and he crossed his arms. "When are you gonna let me take you to Hogsmeade, Horrocks?"

Amelia looked at the shaggy-haired boy in disbelief responding, "I thought I was clear last year, Martin. You dated Patti and broke her heart, and I refuse to hurt my roommate like that."

It didn't escape Athena's notice that Amelia had only referred to Patti as her roommate instead of her friend. She could understand why, other than sleeping in the Gryffindor dorms, Patti was barely ever there. Athena took a moment to appraise Martin whose shaggy hair rested just in front of icy blue eyes. His nose was dusted with freckles and sat crooked as if it had been broken more than once, but was never fixed correctly.

"Give up, mate," Cedric's other friend groaned, "it's just getting sad at this point."

That made Athena laugh, which was a mistake. So far, the focus had been on Amelia, but the sound of Athena's laughter brought the Hufflepuff boys' attention to her. Cedric's caramel eyes settled on hers and the olive-skinned boy elbowed Cedric in the arm, earning a disgruntled shout.

"Well Ced, you let her escape last time, now you've got to introduce us," he said matter-of-factly. Cedric gave Athena a sheepish look in apology. He then introduced his friends, Martin Wells, who continued to pester Amelia across the table, and gesturing to his left, Tomas Silva.

"You owe us, Miss America," Tomas said crossing his arms in mock disappointment, "you haven't accepted our offer to join us yet."

Athena shook her head, amused by the ridiculous nickname that kept following her, and giggled at the exaggerated pout Tomas sent her way. She forgot that she had told them she'd join them for a meal once and never did. Dramatically, she let out a gasp and rose the back of her left hand to her forehead, feigning shock.

"Oh my," she sighed in a Southern accent, "how rude of me! You must excuse my poor American manners. How can I ever make it up to you _fine_ gentlemen?"

Athena's impression caused the group to laugh and even earned a chuckle from Hermione, who was packing up her things to go sit with Harry and Ron. After quidditch games at Ilvermorny, the winning team would host a victory party and would invited the students from other houses who were sixteen and over to join them. Ever since her fifth year, her accents and impressions had been a hit at those parties and improved (in her opinion) with the addition of alcohol.

She looked back to Cedric whose smile reached his expressive caramel eyes. As term went on it was getting harder for her to deny that she found the Hufflepuff prefect attractive, despite his resemblance to Johnny, who she missed terribly. Cedric was very easy to talk to and they often passed notes during History of Magic, learning more about each other with every lesson.

Giving her a crooked grin, Cedric mused, "I'm sure you'll find a way," before his rowdy friends dragged him off to celebrate elsewhere. Once the three Hufflepuffs rounded the corner, Athena expected Amelia to turn on her to begin what was, no doubt, going to be an interrogation about the interaction, but the usually garrulous girl could not get the words out for some reason. Her eyes were wide, focused on the doorway. A handful of Durmstrang boys marched into the Great Hall with none other than the Bulgarian bon-bon himself, Viktor Krum, leading the pack.

Athena had read about the seeker in several quidditch manuals and strategy guides, and more recently heard Ron talk non-stop about his recent performance in the World Cup. He was tall and muscular, a serious look making his already dark features appear darker, and he oozed intensity. He approached the Goblet of Fire, submitting his name to the chorus of applause from his schoolmates and the crowd currently gathered in the Great Hall.

He turned to leave in the same direction from which he came, but his eyes wandered through the groups of students as if he were looking for someone. His eyes paused lingering on the area just to the right of Athena, and she saw his lips twitch a little before continuing on his determined path out of the Great Hall.

Chancing a look to her right, she saw Hermione, cheeks tinged pink, quickly looking back to the large volume in front of her. Athena would find a way to tease her about it later, not wanting to embarrass the poor girl in front of her friends, and turned back to her own homework.

Amelia, who was quieter than usual, was focused back on her Charms essay and must not have seen the Bulgarian celebrity smile at their younger housemate. That was good, at least Athena could go back to working on her essay in peace, not having to worry about Amelia's never-ending need to gossip. Retrieving her fountain pen, Athena scanned the piece of parchment she'd been working on prior to being interrupted.

Hermione, whose cheeks had finally returned to their usual color, asked what they were working on. Athena slid the parchment to the younger girl, telling her to see for herself. Hermione gladly grabbed the essay. Her eyes scanned the partially written assignment, nodding occasionally and quietly read the last few sentences aloud:

 _"The Fidelius Charm earned its name from the Roman wizard and philosopher, Augustus Consus, who focused on the qualities of the Secret Keeper, the individual entrusted with the arcane information. The Latin 'fidelius' means more trustworthy or faithful, indicating to the user of this charm that their Secret Keeper should possess these qualities to ensure a successful result."_

Hermione returned the essay, complimenting Athena's writing style and the level of detail she incorporated into the few paragraphs she had so far. Amelia looked up from her own work, having heard the part of Athena's essay that Hermione read out loud.

"Mind if I borrow that last line?" she inquired, nodding to Athena's paper. "I think it'll fit in perfectly when I discuss choosing a Secret Keeper, more specifically when you choose the wrong one like that dirtbag Sirius Black."

"Why would you say that?" Athena demanded, offended that Amelia would put that in her essay.

"I forget that you're American sometimes, Athena. You've probably never even heard of Sirius Black," Amelia quickly looked around leaning in across the table realizing she caught Harry Potter's attention by mentioning the name of his godfather.

At a much lower volume, Amelia divulged the story of the Potters who were betrayed by their Secret Keeper, Sirius Black, who sold them out to Voldemort. Apparently, that was the version of the story every child in the United Kingdom learns when they're told the story about the Boy Who Lived.

"That's not what happened!" Athena blurted out angrily, not thinking about who else might be listening to their conversation.

Amelia just looked at her like she was crazy, and then Athena recalled where she was, more importantly, when she was. It was _1994_ , the world still recognized Sirius Black as a murderer, and the judicial system of the wizarding world would not be reformed until 2000, requiring a full trial and appeals process before an offense punishable by more than a year of prison time could stand. Athena had read about and studied Sirius Black's case when she first became interested in magical law. She knew about the story Amelia just told her and knew it to be false, but the world didn't know that – not yet anyway.

Her roommate's eyes were filled with concern, probably from Athena's outburst, and did not waver. Athena had to explain why she reacted the way she had without revealing too much. She noticed Hermione observing intently and felt Harry's burning stare without having to look. Shit. He was already suspicious of her and she was just exacerbating the problem.

"What I meant to say was that we can't be sure that's what happened, Amelia," Athena pleaded. "You know I want to go into magical law, of course I've heard of him! He never had a trial, therefore, without any evidence or the fact-finding process of a judiciary, it would be inaccurate to use that example in your essay and claim it to be true."

She held her breath, waiting for Amelia's reaction. She could still feel several sets of eyes on her and hoped her reasoning would be enough.

"You know, Athena, that's a good point," Hermione chimed in from beside her, then addressed Amelia, "I know where in the library you can find loads of other examples."

Athena couldn't believe it. The brightest witch of her age agreed with her reasoning! She let out the breath she'd been holding. Amelia's gaze softened in comprehension.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I've heard you rant about injustice in magical law for the last two months," her classmate admitted, muttering something about finding a different example later as she packed up her things. Athena glanced at her watch and saw that it was 2:20, Amelia had Care of Magical Creatures in ten minutes. She was relieved that she was able to escape that snafu relatively unscathed.

What she didn't calculate for was the three Gryffindor fourth years who had been watching her this whole time. Ron and Harry stood from their spot a few feet down the table and were making their way to where Athena and Hermione sat. Athena quickly shoved her pen and essay into her bag, muttering something about being late for a meeting loud enough for Hermione to hear.

Athena did not want to risk an interrogation from the Golden Trio and booked it out of the Great Hall with her bag slung over her left shoulder. Using her right hand, she felt around the pockets of her robes in search of her wand. She relaxed when she felt the familiar wooden instrument and set off for Gryffindor tower as a yawn escaped her. While she was avoiding the trio, she could try to squeeze in a nap before the feast that evening.

* * *

Athena was feeling the effects of not having slept well the night before and her attempt at napping earlier that afternoon was unsuccessful. She felt herself nod off several times during dinner. Amelia shook her awake when the tables were cleared and pointed to Dumbledore who was pacing in front of the Goblet of Fire whose blue flames burned red. It was time. The Goblet of Fire was choosing the Triwizard Champions. Then in a burst of red flames a piece of parchment shot out, floating into Dumbledore's waiting hands.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," he read aloud, "is Fleur Delacour!"

A petite girl with white-blonde hair dressed in blue silk robes rose from the Ravenclaw table and was applauded and whistled at as she made her way to the front of the room. Dumbledore pointed to a door on the side of the head table where Madame Maxime waited for her student. When Fleur and her headmistress entered the room the Goblet's blue flames burned red once more and shot out the next name.

"The Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum!"

Once again, the Hall applauded and cheered for the second champion, who was ushered to the same door and met by Karkaroff who grinned proudly showing off his crooked yellow teeth. For the third time, the Goblet's flames turned red and Dumbledore grabbed the bit of parchment which would reveal the Hogwarts champion.

"The Hogwarts champion," the headmaster paused, leaving the room in suspense, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Without noticing she stood and began cheering for the handsome Hufflepuff who was shaking his classmates' hands as he made his way to the side-room to join the other Triwizard Champions. Then she collapsed.

A sharp pain filled her head, blurring her vision just as it had during the Welcome Feast. She was seeing the memory that persistently replayed in her mind, over and over, torturing her for the last two months. Except this time, the memory didn't end abruptly.

" _Excellent, but there are a few other reasons this particular tournament was significant. A fourth champion was chosen by the Goblet of Fire, and that champion was_ -"

"-Harry Potter," she whispered finally remembering the missing piece of her memory. The boy in question was close enough to hear her say his name as the applause quieted and Dumbledore explained what would happen next. The green-eyed Gryffindor gave her a look of confusion mixed with concern, as Amelia reached out to steady her.

"Woah, are you alright?" her worried roommate inquired.

Athena wasn't alright. She was mortified at the scene unfolding in front of her. The Goblet of Fire erupted into red flames, startling the Hogwarts headmaster who looked at the object in astonishment. From the wild flames, unlike those that burned for the other champions, flew a fourth piece of parchment. All eyes focused in silence on Dumbledore who opened the impossible folded document.

"Harry Potter," he read robotically. Whispers erupted around the Hall and Harry slowly sunk into his seat, turning to glare at Athena menacingly, his green eyes burning darker than she had ever seen them.

"HARRY POTTER," Dumbledore roared from the front of the room.

Hermione pulled Harry up from where he sat pushing him towards the front as glares and looks of jealousy and disappointment followed him. Cries of "cheat" and complaints that he wasn't even seventeen echoed through the hall of flabbergasted students and faculty.

Dumbledore said nothing as he quickly followed Harry into the side room. Professor McGonagall shushed the Hall and dismissed everyone for the evening.

Athena stared at the spot Harry had just been before Amelia pulled on her robes attempting to hurry her along. Before she stood she saw that Hermione was glaring at her almost as harshly as Harry had, while Ron, beside her, looked hurt and upset. She wished she could explain everything to Hermione, to Harry too, but the danger of revealing her knowledge outweighed what the fourth-year Gryffindors thought of her...or did it?

* * *

An hour or so after the feast ended, Athena was pacing through an empty corridor in front of an ugly stone gargoyle. It was the entrance to Dumbledore's office according to Amelia, who Athena insisted go back to their dorm because she needed to discuss an important family matter with the headmaster. In truth, Athena desperately needed to tell him the about the memory, when she remembered it, and Harry's suspicion of her. The only thing stopping her was the fact Dumbledore had not yet returned to his office. She continued pacing, going over exactly what she would say and how she would say it when he arrived.

"Ah Ms. Mayall, I thought you might be here," the strained voice of Albus Dumbledore declared as he entered the corridor accompanied by Professor McGonagall, who was reciting reasons why Potter shouldn't compete in the tournament.

Athena ceased her pacing and watched the professors discuss the topic in hushed tones. Athena could not hear everything that was said, but clearly heard the headmaster insist, "Minerva, you heard Barty, he is bound by magical contract. The boy must compete," before they parted ways. McGonagall was concerned for her young student, but even she couldn't change what happened that night.

Dumbledore approached the gargoyle and cleared his throat. "Toffee cakes," he spoke in a breathy voice.

He waved Athena over to stand by him while the gargoyle twisted upwards to reveal a spiral staircase. She followed the headmaster up the stairs and through a rustic wooden door into a large circular room. The headmaster's office was full of sound and color. Several objects of different colors and textures whirred and spun, and the walls were adorned with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, most of whom were sleeping gently in their frames.

A huge antique desk sat towards the back of the room, cluttered with papers and silver trinkets. Behind the desk sat a large bookcase home to many books and scrolls of different ages and sizes, but also a familiar brown, shabby, wizard's hat. A pewter perch designed for a large bird sat empty and had a tray filled with ash sitting just below it. Athena knew of Dumbledore's phoenix having read about it in _Hogwarts: A History Vol. 2_ , but had only seen drawings of the beautiful and rare bird.

In fact, she had been so inspired by the phoenix that she had the creature's likeness become a piece of her. On her right shoulder blade was an intricately detailed tattoo, in full-color, of the magnificent phoenix. She remembered the early summer day her sister convinced her to go into a muggle tattoo shop near Boston. She knew exactly what she wanted, and without divulging the entire story to the muggle artist, she received a beautiful piece of art. She wanted a symbol of resilience and power, the emblem of an organization that fought for justice, and something that marked her personal challenges and triumphs – so what better than a phoenix? While she reminisced, she was reminded of why she was in Dumbledore's office in the first place.

"He didn't do it," she advised, still staring at the empty perch.

"I know," came his simple reply.

She suspected the headmaster was a legilimens ever since their first meeting. Something about the odd twinkle in his blue eyes made her wary and she attempted to minimize eye-contact with him as much as possible in their subsequent meetings. She wondered if he looked into Harry's mind in the side-room of the Great Hall after the rest of the students were dismissed to confirm what she had told him.

"He thinks it was me," she reported. She looked at Dumbledore, who did not answer but nodded once, confirming it.

Even she could admit that if it had been her in Harry's shoes, she would believe it too. She was a foreigner, who no one knew much about and appeared shortly after the dark lord's symbol was seen for the first time in thirteen years, and said things that implied she knew more than she let on. Objectively, it didn't look good for her.

"I remembered the missing piece of the memory, just before it happened, Professor Bartlett told us that Harry Potter was chosen as a fourth champion and forced to compete. I messed up though, I said it out loud –his name - he heard me, Professor. _Before_ you said it, he heard me" she admitted.

She looked at the aging wizard for guidance. He sat at his desk with his hands folded in front of him, deep in thought. She knew he would tell her that it was more important than ever to maintain her secret and not reveal anything that would jeopardize the future or her safety, and she prepared a response to that while she paced outside his office only minutes ago. She was going to tell him to hell with the secret and if there was a chance she could change the outcome, or even make the poor kid's life easier in any way, she was going to do it. Consequences be damned.

"Only reveal what is absolutely necessary, Ms. Mayall," the headmaster proposed.

"But sir, If I can help – wait. What?" Athena spluttered, not anticipating his instruction.

"I believe that your arrival in this place and time was more than coincidental. Not much is known about the magic that sent you here, but I believe that you came to us with a purpose and I am willing to let you fulfill that purpose," he confessed, adding, "with caution."

Athena's brain had difficulty registering the information. The man who had told her for the last two months to conceal as much as she could was now suggesting that it was in her best interest, and his own potentially, for her to do the opposite. He cautioned that the information by no means should be public, but insisted that it would be advantageous to share with a select few. With that, he dismissed her and wished her a pleasant night's sleep and good luck. She would need all the luck she could get for what she was about to do.


	12. One of Us

**A/N: No new reviews, so either you all hate it or love it so much you're too emotional to say anything...either way, thanks for making it this far!**

Chapter 12: One of Us

It was far past curfew by the time Athena finally made it to Gryffindor tower and the Fat Lady was not happy to be woken from her beauty sleep to let her in but did so begrudgingly. The common room was a disaster, remnants of a party littered the floor and all the furniture. A thin figure sat one of the common room's plush armchairs facing away from her in the direction of the smoldering embers of what was once a large fire. It was Harry, just the person she needed to speak with.

It was better she got it over with now than let the teenage boy's misery intensify. She couldn't even imagine what he must be feeling – anger? Fear? Isolation? She walked quietly to where he sat with his head in his hands.

"I know you didn't do it, Harry," she volunteered calmly.

He whipped his head around to glare at her, hands balled into fists. "You," he growled angrily, "who are you?"

Though his tone was laced with anger, Athena saw the fear and sadness in his eyes. His entire life he'd been fighting off people trying to hurt him, trying to kill him. Being selected as a Triwizard Champion at fourteen might as well have been a death sentence. Athena wanted to comfort the boy who was so openly hurting right in front of her, but first she had to tell him the truth. He deserved to know.

"I will tell you, I'll even let you ask questions, but you need to know I never wanted to hide this from you. Dumbledore made me promise not to say anything," she pleaded with the boy. He looked skeptical, but let her finish, "I actually just left his office with his blessing to tell you everything."

That piqued his interest, what did she know that Dumbledore made her promise not to share? Athena walked over to the sofa adjacent to the armchair Harry occupied and gestured for him to sit down. She took a seat herself and looked into Harry's inquisitive green eyes. She took a deep breath, nervous that he wouldn't believe a word that she said. Then she told him everything. _Everything_.

She started by letting him know that Athena Mayall was her real name and she really did go to Ilvermorny, Mrs.Figg - who happened to live across the street from the Dursleys on Privet Drive – was not her grandmother, and she would most likely never be able to go home ever again. She told him about the Minister's special program inviting Ilvermorny to the World Cup, including meeting his future self there. She spoke about her tour of the Ministry and falling through that blasted archway.

"When I left it was 2018, Harry, and I woke up at St. Mungo's in 1994." Harry still looked at her skeptically, unsure whether he should believe what she was telling him. She knew how she would get him to believe.

"You heard what I said about Sirius Black earlier." He nodded.

She looked Harry directly in the eyes assuring him, "I know that he's innocent." His eyes flashed with some unascertainable emotion, but she continued her story, "I know that he did not betray your parents, and that he was framed that night without so much as a trial to prove his innocence. I know that Peter Pettigrew, the man responsible, is still alive. I know this because I studied it in 2016, twenty-two years from now."

He stared at her in disbelief. "His story is one of the reasons I want to work in magical law. No one should have to suffer for a crime they didn't commit," she stated earnestly. She finally had his attention. They sat in silence for a moment, letting the information sink in.

After a few moments he finally broke the silence, "you knew my name was going to come out of the Goblet of Fire." The hurt in his eyes pained Athena.

"Yes and no."

"What do you mean?" anger returning to his voice.

She sighed heavily, her story would be less believable if she told him about her faulty memory. He'd think she was lying. She attempted to formulate an answer that would make the most sense, but had difficulty making any sense of the circumstances at all.

"Just tell me the truth, Athena," he begged. "Please."

So, she did. She mentioned her first night at Hogwarts, when he noticed her zone-out in the middle of Dumbledore's announcement about the Triwizard Tournament and explained the way the memory had forced its way into her mind unexpectedly. He brought a hand to touch his scar lightly. She ignored it, telling him about the missing piece of that memory and how painful it was to try remembering it. Then, she explained that night after dinner, something similar happened, but this time the missing piece returned to her memory.

"Who did it?" he demanded.

"I don't know, Harry," she replied honestly. She wished she knew more about the tournament, so she could help the boy sitting in front of her who was trying to comprehend all the information she just laid on him.

"I want to help you. You don't have to do this alone," she insisted.

He managed to lift the corners of his mouth slightly, muttering a quiet thank you. She couldn't help the loud yawn that escaped her, making Harry chuckle lightly. He suggested they go to bed and talk about it more some other time. She felt lighter now that she could share the enormous burden she'd been carrying the last two months with someone. She made her way to the staircase leading to her dormitory but stopped short looking at Harry once again.

"Please don't tell anyone, Harry," she pleaded.

He assured her that he wouldn't tell anyone, but part of her brain noted that tomorrow Hermione and Ron would know also. That was fine, she trusted them, and hoped her confession convinced Harry that she really was on their side. Athena climbed the stairs, exhaustion finally catching up with her and fell onto her bed fully-clothed and slept better than she had in the two months she'd been at Hogwarts.

Athena overslept and was now rushing to the Great Hall to grab something to eat before she had to endure the incessant droning of Professor Binns. She didn't have very long but managed to grab a few pieces of buttered toast. Something hit her head softly and she was ready to hex the fool who had the nerve to bother her today. Her rage dissipated when she saw an envelope with her name on it in Charlie's handwriting. She picked up the letter and hurried to the fifth floor where the History of Magic classroom was.

She got there with only two minutes to spare and noticed Cedric was nowhere to be found. She settled into her usual spot removing a notebook and one of her fountain pens from her bag. Professor Binns lectured about magical law and systems of justice throughout history, a subject that actually interested her. She listened intently and made sure to take good notes to share with Cedric later. Hufflepuff must have also had a party the previous evening, and she couldn't fault the new Triwizard Champion from sleeping in.

When the lesson ended, Athena packed up her things and the letter from Charlie remained on the desk. She had been so absorbed in Binns' lecture for once, she didn't get the chance to read it. She picked up the letter and left the classroom, noticing how brightly the sun was shining that day. She decided to venture outdoors, perhaps to her favorite spot near the Whomping Willow, to read Charlie's letter. She had plenty of time before Ancient Runes that afternoon and reasoned that it was too beautiful outside not to enjoy it before winter came.

She was right, by the time she arrived at her favorite spot she shed her black robes that became too hot in the warm sun. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the way the sunlight bathed her face before she read her letter. She and Charlie had been writing back and forth at least once a week since his initial letter in September for her birthday. She wore the beautiful necklace he sent her every day, but it remained hidden under her uniform most days. She tore open the envelope, removing the folded parchment inside.

 _Dear Athena,_

 _I hope your classes are still going well. I can't imagine what it must be like without quidditch this year. I'm a little disappointed myself, I was hoping to visit and watch a match with the new Gryffindor keeper. I heard she was a brilliant quidditch player, I could've used her when I was at Hogwarts!_

 _Even without quidditch, I'm planning to come watch some of the tournament. In fact, you may be seeing me a lot sooner than you'd expect. I miss your beautiful face and can't wait to see you._

Yours

 _Charlie xx_

With every letter, Charlie seemed to be getting more comfortable, flirtier even, and was acting more like the man who she sat by the pond with at the Burrow. He'd been casually adding that he missed her to his recent letters, and this time he even called her beautiful. No one had ever called her beautiful, besides her mother, and it made her stomach flutter. She tucked the letter into her bag and laid back on the grassy hillside, closing her eyes and soaking up as much sunshine as she could. The sounds of the willow rustling and waving its impatient branches were soothing and she found herself dozing off.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she was interrupted by the voice of Harry Potter.

"Godric, you look like hell."

She opened one eye to glare at the messy-haired fourth year. "You're not exactly Adonis, Boy Wonder," she teased sitting up and inviting him to join her.

He sheepishly admitted that he told Hermione and his godfather, in a letter, everything that she told him last night, but reassured her that they would keep her secret. She laughed it off, telling him that she fully expected that Ron and Hermione would know everything today. His face darkened at the mention of the youngest Weasley boy.

"He thinks I entered without telling him. Stupid git won't even give me the chance to explain," he grumbled.

She felt bad for Harry and told him that his best friend would come around eventually, urging him not to be too upset about it. Then, she made the mistake of asking him what he had been up to earlier that day. He explained that the Weighing of the Wands, another Triwizard formality, took place that morning, and other than being freed early from his potions lesson it had been horrible. That would explain why Cedric was not in History of Magic. Harry went on to complain about a woman named Rita Skeeter, a well-known journalist for the _Daily Prophet_ , who wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise in his own interview. Not only that, the woman barely even talked to the other champions!

Athena didn't have any meaningful advice to give him. She had never been in a situation like this, nor did she have any experience with someone who had. So, the two Gryffindors sat in silence on the hillside, watching as the Willow would snap and sway as it attacked unwary birds in the afternoon sun.

The first few weeks of November were difficult following the publication of that obnoxious Skeeter woman's article about the champions, more accurately, about Harry. The ridiculous woman primarily focused on Harry's fame, misspelled Fleur and Viktor's names, and left out Cedric entirely. The people who were already upset with Harry being allowed to compete grew more agitated after reading the article and even began wearing pins enchanted to flash between the phrases "POTTER STINKS" and "SUPPORT DIGGORY – THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION." Athena was upset to see so many people wearing the awful pins, including Cedric's friends Martin and Tomas.

On several occasions, including during their History of Magic class she tried to reason with Cedric that it would be ridiculous for a fourteen-year-old to want to compete in the tournament and how Rita Skeeter's article was riddled with flaws and factual errors. Eventually, he began wearing down and started accepting her reasoning. She even asked him to tell his friends not to wear those nasty pins and he promised her that he would try his best.

By the third week of November, Cedric and Athena were back to their normal routine attending class together, passing notes, and casually flirting with one another. At the end of their Thursday History of Magic lesson, the two seventh years roamed the hallways as the chill of the November air discouraged them from heading outdoors. There was only one week until the first task of the tournament and everyone had been buzzing with anticipation and excitement.

"So," Athena broke the silence between them, "any idea what to expect for the first task?"

Cedric had told her several times that week that he had no idea and that fact hadn't changed since the last time she asked. He rolled his eyes, unamused and let out a sound of disapproval. He ran a hand through his hair, as he did more often recently, which left it sticking up in several different directions. This way, he looked as if he'd either just rolled out of bed or out of a broom closet – two places Athena would gladly follow him.

 _No – head out of the gutter, Mayall_ , she admonished herself. The more time she spent around the Hufflepuff, the more she found herself attracted to him. He paused walking and looked thoughtful before resuming his earlier pace.

"Are you going to Hogsmeade on Saturday?" he asked her softly, so softly she almost didn't hear him.

"Yes, are you?"

"Yeah," he chuckled running his hand through his hair once more, his signature crooked smile lighting up his face.

"Will you – That is I mean, would you – like to go with me?" he stammered. She didn't answer right away, so he quickly followed up with, "if you don't want to that's fine."

"It's not that I don't want to, Ced," she implored her Hufflepuff crush, "I want to, but I've already promised Amelia I'd go with her."

He looked disappointed but understood and joked about having to be quicker next time. Part of her brain did a happy dance, there would be a next time. She couldn't help but smile at him and suggested they all meet up at the Three Broomsticks for a drink. Cedric gladly accepted the offer, and the two continued to wander the halls talking and laughing the rest of the morning.

The rest of the week flew by and Saturday morning found Athena and Amelia getting ready for an exciting day in Hogsmeade. Athena threw on an old pair of ripped jeans (which, apparently, weren't in style yet because Amelia offered to lend her an unripped pair), an old Ilvermorny sweatshirt, and her beloved black converse. The girls made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast while planning their day, which shops to visit, carving out time to grab a drink with the Hufflepuffs, and visiting the Shrieking Shack, the most haunted building in Great Britain according to Amelia.

The Great Hall was buzzing with students excited to visit the wizarding village. The volume in the hall increased when the two girls entered, and Athena suddenly felt the weight of hundreds of eyes on her, just as they had been on her first night when she was being sorted. Maybe she shouldn't have worn the Ilvermorny sweatshirt, she was technically a Hogwarts student now. Putting the thought away for a moment, she sat in her usual place at the Gryffindor table.

The feeling of eyes on her only increased and she couldn't help looking around. Most of the stares were harmless, but nasty glares from many females and leers from the male population were mixed into the fold. She focused back on her breakfast, smearing butter on her toast when something hit her back roughly.

"Whore," a nasally voice mumbled. Athena saw that a Ravenclaw girl with long straight black hair had elbowed her while walking past her.

"What the hell?" she wondered, confused. She'd never even seen that girl before, she must have Athena mistaken for someone else.

She tried to focus back on her toast when Hermione Granger came running over to her, a newspaper clutched tightly in her hand. The younger girl's wild mane was pulled back into a ponytail and swayed behind her as she jogged the length of the table to where Athena was sitting.

"Athena," she panted, out of breath, "there's something you need to see." The younger girl thrust the newspaper at her.

It was the _Daily Prophet_ from that morning, it looked like a normal paper reporting the weather, a notable romance author published a new story, but in the lower right-hand corner were two moving photographs. One was of her and Harry, sitting on the hill by the Whomping Willow the other was of her and Cedric laughing and walking through the hallway outside of Professor Binns' classroom. Who had even taken those photos and how had she not noticed?! In bold was a headline, " **Triwizard Love Triangle? Read More on Page** 4!"

She quickly turned to the identified page and was met with another headline, " **Hogwarts Heartthrobs Fight for American's Affections** ," and read:

 _Athena Mayall, Hogwarts' first transfer student in nearly 137 years, has caught her school's and now as Rita Skeeter reports, two Triwizard Champions' attention. The brunette beauty has been seen publicly with both her classmate, the handsome Hufflepuff himself, Cedric Diggory, and the much younger Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. Sources close to Mr. Diggory confirm his infatuation with Miss Mayall, but a friend of Mayall, Amelia Horrocks, told the_ Daily Prophet _that the American recently turned down the Hogwarts hunk, Diggory, for someone else. Perhaps the younger Mr. Potter? What does this mean for Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's first love? Stay tuned, dear readers, and find out!_

Below the paragraph was a poll, entitled "Who Will She Choose?" with an invitation for readers to send in their response of either Cedric Diggory or Harry Potter.

She stared at the page in shock and embarrassment, not knowing what to say. That was why everyone had been looking at her and why that random Ravenclaw shoved her as she walked by. That foul Skeeter woman, who Harry had been complaining about shortly after the Weighing of the Wands, had written this false piece of trash article about her and thrust her back into the spotlight, where she did not want to be.

How did that nasty woman ever find out about her saying no to Cedric. Her eyes scanned the words in front of her once more and found the answer: _Amelia Horrocks_. She looked at the girl who had quickly become her friend, anger and betrayal filling her eyes before throwing down the _Prophet_ and storming out of the Great Hall. Hermione called out after her, but Athena did not stop until she reached the Fat Lady, barking out the password. The wild-haired fourth year followed her inside, still trying to get her attention.

"Athena," Hermione begged, "please don't believe what that awful woman wrote. You've seen the ridiculous things that she's written about Harry! It's not true."

"Leave, Hermione."

Athena gripped the bannister of the stairwell leading to her dormitory so tightly her knuckles were white. Truth or not, that story was now out in the public, and as much as she did not want to care about what other people thought of her, she did. It pierced her pride and ached far worse than she cared to admit. Deep down she knew Hermione was right, but that didn't mean she was able to let go of the hurt she felt.

She wanted to be alone. Ignoring Hermione's desperate pleas, Athena ascended the steps to her dormitory and threw herself onto her bed. She drew her wand out of her sweatshirt pocket and pointed it at the door muttering, "colloportus," locking the door. The last thing she needed was Hermione coming up here to try and talk with her, or worse, Amelia. This was not the day she had planned for.


	13. Clarity

**A/N:** Merci beaucoup á mes lecteurs français! I studied French years and years ago, so I apologize for any mistakes. I'm so glad you are enjoying this story as much as I am! I hope this next chapter meets your expectations!

Chapter 13: Clarity

She knew better than to believe the ridiculous fluff that Rita Skeeter wrote, but that didn't stop her from feeling immensely hurt and betrayed. The photo of her and Harry sitting on the hill by the Whomping Willow meant nothing, but the content of her conversation with Cedric did. Only Athena, Cedric, and Amelia knew about their little chat and arrangement for Hogsmeade later that day and Athena couldn't help the wave of anger that swept through her when she remembered Skeeter cited Amelia as her source. She had been one of Athena's first and closest friends at Hogwarts, and it didn't make sense for her to sell her out like that. Or maybe it did. They had only known each other for a few short months. Athena clenched her fists around the blankets atop her mattress, still fuming.

In any case, Athena would clearly have to be more careful about what she said and who she said it to. Since September, her outsider-ness had been overshadowed by the much more exciting Triwizard Tournament, but now the stares and whispers returned to her. So much for laying low like Dumbledore asked. Her internal monologue was interrupted by a tapping at the window. The last time she received a message directly to the dormitory it was from Dumbledore.

Groaning she pulled herself up off of her bed to a window where a familiar tawny owl tapped at the glass once more. This was Charlie's owl, Bess, she had been back-and-forth between England and Romania several times in the past few months, the poor thing must have been exhausted. Athena quickly opened the window allowing the owl to enter her room. The owl perched on the footboard of Athena's bed, a letter clutched in her beak.

"Just one second, Bessie girl," Athena said holding up a finger. She grabbed a glass from the nightstand and her wand and walked towards the bathroom. Waving her wand in a semi-circle and finishing with a sharp jab, Athena transfigured the glass into a dish, resembling one Athena had seen for Hermione's cat, Crookshanks. She filled the dish from the tap and returned to the eagerly waiting owl sat on her bed.

Athena took the letter from the owl's beak and stroked her soft golden feathers while she drank from the dish. It wasn't addressed, but she knew who it was from. Not even the events of that horrid morning could suppress the smile that rose on her lips.

 _If you're feeling rebellious, meet me by the Black Lake on tonight just before midnight._

 _If you're not feeling rebellious, come anyway._

 _~Charlie xx_

Charlie must be coming to England early in preparation for the First Task. He and Bill mentioned that they'd be at Hogwarts to watch some of the events. This news brightened Athena's previously sour mood. She couldn't hide the fact she was excited to see the charming older Weasley. She tucked the letter away into her nightstand and instructed Bessie to go rest in the Owlery. The owl responded with a hoot and flew out the open window.

Before closing the window, Athena stood by it and let a cool breeze sweep over her. It was a beautiful day for the middle of November, and they weren't likely to have very many more before winter finally settled in. She decided that she wasn't going to let the stupid article keep her from enjoying the nice day and would go to Hogsmeade on her own. If only she could ignore what the school thought of her...maybe that would follow naturally one day.

Removing the charm from her door, she exited the room and rushed down the stairs. Only a smattering of first and second years populated the common room, and very few of them even noticed her walk through. She carried this determined air with her through the portrait hole and into the hallway. She made her way to the stairwell and swiftly walked into a wall. She landed with an "oomph" as her tailbone struck the castle's stone floor hard, radiating pain all the way up her spine.

"Watch it," growled a clearly agitated Ron Weasley. Though he may have been three years younger, he was nearly a foot taller than Athena and immensely more dense.

"My bad, Ron," she apologized, still seated on the floor. She ignored the radiating ache in her back as she pushed herself back onto her feet, and noticed a note clutched in Ron's hand with Charlie's familiar scrawl on it.

Athena gestured to the note with a small smile, "Charlie?"

His eyes narrowed and he looked offended by the question. He scoffed, "Oh so you remember him?"

"What's your problem, Ron?" Athena squared up defensively. She knew he was still upset with Harry about the tournament crap, but he shouldn't have any issues with her.

"Are you taking the piss?" He countered indignantly. Athena didn't know what that meant so she let him continue, "My brother isn't good enough for you? You have to have Diggory and Harry too?! Get over yourself, you nasty Yankee slag."

She wasted no time punching the ginger clean across the face. The only feeling other than satisfaction followed an unnatural pop and clicking sound, sending pain through her wand hand and up her arm. _How dare he say that_?! He had no right, nor did he have any idea what was actually going on. She didn't stay to see the extent of the damage and ran down the stairs fuming. She needed to take a walk and cool off, physically and emotionally. She continued this pace until she felt the cool November air sting her eyes when she reached the open doors of the Entrance Hall.

She walked away from the school to a footpath leading down towards the Black Lake. Luckily, because it was a Hogsmeade weekend and the weather wasn't comfortable for most people, the grounds were nearly empty. Several Durmstrang students were tossing around a quaffle, while groups of younger Hogwarts girls watched not-so-secretly from the Herbology greenhouses. Athena didn't know where she was heading and figured she may as well head to her usual spot by the Whomping Willow. As she got closer, she saw Hagrid tending to his garden by the hut she knew to be his home. Maybe she would go visit the Gamekeeper, that would surely take her mind off of things.

With that thought in mind, Athena abruptly changed direction heading left towards Hagrid's hut instead of continuing right towards the willow. Approaching the Gamekeeper's modest home, she saw that he had been harvesting the remainder of his pumpkins and several different kinds of squash. Not wanting to startle the enormous man, she called out a friendly hello.

"Why Miss Athena! Wha' brings you 'ere today? Let's have a cuppa, eh?" He replied jovially. He lifted a basket containing the gourds he recently harvested and put them off to the side before inviting her in for a cup of tea.

Hagrid's hut was warmed by a large fire burning in a rustic stone fireplace, cluttered with mismatched furniture and fabrics of different colors and textures, and was also home to a massive hound with a droopy, drooling face who Hagrid introduced as Fang. Athena sat in an armchair and let Fang jump up to join her while Hagrid was pulling the kettle off of a hook dangling over the fire and offered her Earl Grey or Chamomile.

"Earl Grey, please," she replied allowing Fang to rest his drooling face on her lap. She pet the older dog's head lightly and scratched him gently behind the ears causing the dogs large tail to wag against the chair, emitting a 'thump, thump' every few moments.

""E's usually not very fond of strangers," Hagrid said nodding toward his aging canine companion. "Now, Miss Athena, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Hagrid handed her a large steaming mug of tea. He had one of his own and took a seat in a large wooden chair across from her. Letting the hot liquid cool before she scorched her tongue she told Hagrid about her horrible morning, including the part where she believed paying him a visit would brighten her spirits. So far it had. There was something relaxing about the way Fang was letting her pet him, in addition to talking with someone about her troubles.

"I'm not exactly an expert on this Miss Athena," the bearded Gamekeeper said thoughtfully, "but you seem tougher than to let this get you down."

She appreciated him listening, despite not being able to relate, nor offer advice. She didn't come for advice, she came for the company, and she felt confident that this was the right decision. The tea and the fire warmed her down to the bone, and cuddling the mellow, wrinkled dog while exchanging stories with Hagrid warmed her down to the soul. They chatted for quite some time before Hagrid's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Miss Athena, maybe you can help me with something - you being a lady and all – not that that has anything to- but it might help -" the bearded man fumbled over his words with anxiety and a dark reddish hue emerged across his nose and the visible portion of his cheeks.

"How can I help?" She wondered sincerely. She felt like she owed him for being so kind to her in a time of need.

He then proceeded to tell her about a crush he'd developed on Beauxbatons' headmistress, Madame Maxime, and that he'd asked her if she'd like to accompany him for a walk that evening after dinner. Apparently, she'd said yes, because the gamekeeper's face reddened even further, which Athena didn't think was possible.

"Olympe is a real lady," he notified her, "I need some help tidying up and looking the part of a gentleman y'know?"

Athena helped Hagrid pick out an outfit including a brown leather jacket and she transfigured a spare button into a pink and orange floral boutonniere, which she pinned to his coat. Her sleekeazy potion was up in her dormitory and she didn't know any hair glamour charms other than a drying spell. Instead, she instructed the Gamekeeper to wet his hair and bring her a comb, an instrument which looked as though it hadn't been used in ages. Athena even had to blow the dust off it. She fought a ridiculous battle trying to tame his wild mane, but eventually his hair was combed and pulled back neatly, but still looked masculine.

By the time they'd finished, Hagrid thanked her hurriedly and wrote her a note in case she was stopped on her way back into the castle. She looked outside then down at her watch - it was dark outside, 9:02 PM – how was it possible that she spent all afternoon (and evening) there? Athena took the note and wished Hagrid luck, telling him to just be himself and that everything would work out. It was significantly colder outside than it had been when the sun was out, and Athena clutched her sweatshirt close to her body.

She hadn't walked very far before she heard a voice calling out her name. The last thing she needed right now was to get in trouble, and she began looking around in the darkness for the source of the noise. It wasn't Hagrid, nor was it coming from the direction of the school. There was nobody in sight. Then, again, she heard her name shouted. The voice was familiar and she turned her gaze to the direction of the Forbidden Forest where she could barely make out the shape of a person.

"Yes, you!" The voice called out, and she could just see what looked like the shadow of an arm waving her over. "You're early!"

Charlie? She certainly hoped it was. She walked over to the near edge of the forest and the familiar form of Charlie Weasley took shape in the darkness. "Charlie!" She exclaimed in relief, "Sweet Morgana's saggy left tit, you scared me half to death." She jumped into his open arms, embracing him while he laughed heartily.

"I missed the way you swear," he said releasing her to look her over. Even in the dark, she could see his eyes glistening mischievously.

"You don't follow directions very well."

She shrugged, "I was at Hagrid's for some tea."

He looked at her confused, but shook away the thought and took her hand. "Anyway," he said pulling her along through the trees, "you're here now, have you eaten?" Her stomach answered for her with a loud gurgling growl, which Charlie laughed at.

"I'll take that as a no," he looked back at her with a wink, before continuing, "you're just in time, the guys should just be getting back with some supper."

She pulled on his arm to stop him. "Charlie, what are you talking about? Is Bill here? Why are you out in the Forest?"

He quickly snapped a large, calloused hand over her mouth and looked around them. He looked down to her simply saying, "not here, I'll explain everything shortly, love," and proceeded to lead her by the hand over roots and fallen trees deep into the forest. They walked a good distance and another grumble from Athena's stomach broke the silence that had settled between them.

Charlie's shoulders shook again with laughter and he noted that they were almost there. No sooner did a bright light break through the darkness then promptly disappear. It looked almost like fire. The cogs were turning in Athena's brain rapidly and she was putting the pieces together. Charlie, the fire, the forest, Charlie...

"Dragons," identifying the source of the flame, "that's the First Task, isn't it?" Charlie stopped walking abruptly.

He looked at her in disbelief. "Aye...but don't you go telling Harry or your _boyfriend_ Diggory." She couldn't help noticing the way he spat out the word boyfriend with disdain.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend," she countered, not missing a beat. "You've seen Skeeter's shit article about me, haven't you?" Charlie's eyes softened sympathetically before he bowed his head slightly in shame. He had. He didn't have to say it out loud for her to know that it was true.

"Whatever," Athena hissed upset with the man and dropped his hand as if it burned her.

He muttered apologies and directed her toward a clearing where four gigantic cages sat housing dragons. Three were calmly sleeping, but the fourth, covered in spines and spikes thrashed about and spewed licks of flames in multiple directions. Athena felt for the beast, she wouldn't like being locked away in a small cage either. Charlie told her to wait there while he ran over in an attempt to calm the raging dragon.

From the other side of the clearing she saw two burly men rush over to help. All three of the men drew their wands casting a spell which emitted a soft pink glow. Athena saw the dragon's thrashing lessen and noticed that there were no more wild bursts of flames. Whatever spell they used had calmed the dragon quickly. Charlie addressed the two men that came over to assist and pointed in Athena's direction. The two looked around, presumably searching for her in the darkness.

They were in a moonlit clearing while Athena was still standing in the thick tree line, they probably couldn't see her at all. She took this opportunity to walk towards them and consequently the four caged dragons. Athena wondered how Dumbledore was able to coordinate this and keep students from finding out. These were four, fully-grown, dragons for Merlin's sake! They aren't exactly the subtlest magical creatures.

When she was about 10 yards away, Charlie walked over to meet her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She was still pissed at him, but she didn't shake him off. Something about the warmth of his body on the cool November night made her want to stay exactly where she was. He introduced the two men with dark, Eastern European features as Andrei and Vasile, Romanian dragon-keepers from the sanctuary he worked at.

Charlie introduced Athena as the best American they'd ever meet, probably trying to win back Athena's favor, albeit unsuccessfully before suggesting they meet up with the others at their camp area about 200 yards from the clearing. As they walked through Charlie pointed out each of the dragons, talking a little bit about them.

The Hungarian Horntail was the one thrashing only minutes ago. Charlie noted that _she_ was a new mother, and was generally harmless, except for the fact she'd recently been parted with her precious eggs which left her agitated. _Poor thing_ , she thought before turning her attention back to the handsome dragon-keeper, who she had to remind herself she was still mad at. The other species there were a Welsh Green, Chinese Fireball, and Swedish Shortsnout.

The group arrived to a series of four tents surrounding a campfire, reminding Athena of her time at the World Cup earlier this year... or was it later? The timelines were getting more confusing in her head, and she quickly shook the thought away in time for Charlie to introduce her to Rusudan, by far the oldest member of their group, and Pierre who Charlie emphasized was Canadian.

"Very nice to meet you Miss," Pierre said cordially. It was so nice to hear an accent that sounded like her own, it was almost shocking.

"Pierre, you've just made my night." This was met with a chorus of laughter. "I've been so homesick, and you have no idea how nice it is to hear something that _sounds_ like home."

He smiled at her sincerely and gave a little bow, "well, it's my pleasure."

Rusudan was levitating logs to form makeshift benches around their campfire, while Pierre and one of the burly men from before – Andrei or Vasile, she wasn't sure which – entered on of the tents. They returned a few minutes later with trays of food and several bottles filled with a dark amber liquid. Athena allowed Charlie to lead her over to one of the logs and sit down. He sat close to her so she felt the heat of the fire as well as the heat from Charlie. Pierre passed them each a container as well as a bottle labeled "Ogden's Old Firewhiskey."

"Your favorite," Athena said nudging Charlie lightly in the side.

"Call it a peace offering."

"Accepted."

The group sat around the fire drinking fire whiskey, sharing stories, and eating shepherd's pie, which Charlie informed Athena was Madame Rosmerta's specialty at the Three Broomsticks. She laughed and drank with the group of dragon-tamers, enjoying the way the firewhiskey warmed her from the inside out, tingling as it worked its way to her extremities and her brain. It had been a long time since she'd had this much to drink, and she was enjoying the lightheaded feeling she got from the beverage.

The conversation soon turned to quidditch and the most recent World Cup, Athena didn't know much about it but tried to keep up anyway. The Romanians were arguing over the skill of the Bulgarian Seeker, Krum, when Pierre looked over in Athena and Charlie's direction. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Did you catch the last World Cup Final?" He asked eagerly.

Without thinking about it she exclaimed, "in the Patagonian desert?! Hell no!" Pierre and Charlie looked at her confused.

"The last World Cup Final was in Canada, sweetheart. Better take that firewhiskey away from your girlfriend, mate. I think she's had a bit too much," Pierre nodded to Charlie.

Charlie was cut off before he could speak by Rusudan who identified voices coming closer to their site. Charlie ventured off to discover the potential intruders with the older wizard, wands drawn. A few moments after they departed from the group, Athena recognized her mistake. She'd referenced the 2014 final between Bulgaria and Brazil, technically her last World Cup, but Pierre was talking about the one in _1990_. She had to rack her brain hard to figure out who played and where.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of Charlie," Pierre said in a low voice, "I just figured because it was in Canada and the U.S. managed to make it to the final for the first time in World Cup history, you may have gone."

That's right! The last time the United States qualified for the World Cup Final was 1990 against Scotland. That game was the last time The U.S. men's quidditch team was taken seriously on the world stage, and also had a record number of Seeker injuries at 132 between both teams over a six-day match. She slapped the palm of her hand to her face.

She heard the unmistakable booming laugh of Hagrid coming from the direction where Charlie went. She wondered how his date with Madame Maxime went, and if that was what brought him so deep into the Forbidden Forest that evening - looking at her watch in the firelight and corrected her thought- morning. It was 12:17 AM. She'd been out with Charlie all night!

She had to get back to Gryffindor tower before she got in trouble and made a move to stand up, instantly regretting it. All the blood seemed to drain away from her head and her vision became spotty. She swayed right into something hard. Looking up, she saw Charlie looking at her in amusement.

"And just wheeeeeere do you think you're going, missy?" He taunted in a sing-song voice.

"Gryffindor tower – past curfew – bed," she slurred feeling the alcohol hit her brain hard. She was exhausted and the only thing she wanted at the moment was sleep. She pushed past Charlie and began shuffling toward the clearing, stumbling over a rock and falling to her knees. She looked up, straight through the illuminated clearing where she saw a bodiless head peeking into the moonlight and she yelped. The head snapped in her direction – Harry. But where was the rest of him?!His disembodied head quickly disappeared and she felt someone pick her up and throw her over their shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"That's it, Athena," boomed Charlie, "you're staying here until you sober up. I'll even let you sleep in my tent."

She wasn't going to fight him anymore, maybe it was for the best, she was seeing the disembodied floating head of Harry Potter just moments ago. She let Charlie carry her past the campfire and into one of the tents. This one, unlike the one she had stayed in before at the World Cup, was arranged like a studio apartment with a kitchen, sitting area, and one queen-sized bed tucked away in the corner. Charlie dropped her unceremoniously onto the bed before removing her shoes and tucking her under the covers.

He grabbed a pillow and a blanket from the end of the bed and walked over to the small sofa before laying down. As tired as she was she didn't want to sleep. She'd forgiven Charlie for acting like a prick before, so why was he acting this way?

"Charlie?"

"Sleep," he demanded, clearly upset.

Whether it was the alcohol or some underlying Gryffindor courage, she sat up in the bed. "I can't sleep knowing that I've upset you."

"You can."

"Please, Charlie," she begged, "what did I do? I'm sorry that I've embarrassed you in front of your colleagues. I'm sorry I had too much to drink." Then a thought came into her head, "was it the article? Did Ron say something to you about me?"

She couldn't control her emotions at this point and began sobbing hysterically. That seemed to turn Charlie's sour mood down a notch, at least enough to physically acknowledge her. He stood up from the sofa and took up a spot at the foot of the bed. He looked livid.

"He wrote something I _thought_ was ridiculous in a letter back in September, but now I'm thinking it might have some truth. He said that you've been lying about who you really are and something you said tonight is leading me to believe that might be true."

In a strangled voice Athena replied, "he's right." Charlie stood up and made a motion to storm out, but Athena couldn't let him leave without letting him know the truth.

"I'm from the future," she blurted out through tears. He stopped almost instantly, but didn't turn around. "It was an accident, I never meant to hurt anyone. Dumbledore made me-"

"Dumbledore made you what?" He barked turning to face her. "Lie to us?! To my family?! Me?!"

She nodded as a fresh wave of tears fell down her face. She was glad that she couldn't see his face, because that would surely make her feel worse. "At least let me prove it," she croaked, wiping her eyes with the sleeves of her hoodie. She took a deep shaky breath before beginning.

"I messed up tonight. The Patagonian Desert was _my_ last World Cup Final. That was in 2014." She paused to look at his face, which appeared not to believe a single word she was saying. "My name really is Athena Mayall and I did – or I guess, not yet – go to Ilvermorny... in the year 2018."

She launched into the same story she gave to Harry about the program, the 2018 World Cup, all about meeting his brother, Percy, in the future and exactly what he was like, and finished with her fateful tour of the Ministry. She recalled in explicit detail every aspect of the Department of Mysteries, entering the spinning room, and feeling helpless until she heard the voices calling out to her. She told him about the room made of stone and the gargantuan archway with the shimmering misty material where the voices were coming from. She told him about the sensation of falling forever till she believed herself to be dead.

"The Veil..." His voice trailed off. She didn't know what that was, but she was glad she hadn't lost him completely.

The more spoke the less angry he seemed to become. She continued on, describing the intricate backstory Dumbledore concocted for her, how kind his parents were to welcome her without knowing anything – least of all the truth- about her. She told him that she'd likely never be able to go back to her own time, nor see her family or friends ever again. Once again, she was reminded that she was completely and utterly alone. The warm buzz that settled in her bones only minutes ago was gone, leaving her with the dull ache of sadness.

"You fell through the Veil?" He inquired.

"I guess so."

"One of Bill's classmates, an Unspeakable, fell through the Veil two years ago – they found him dead two weeks later. How did you...?" He didn't finish the question.

"I don't know." So the archway she came through was called the Veil?

"And this is the truth?"

She nodded, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Completely."

"Who knows?" He wondered moving closer to sit on the bed just in front of her.

"Just Dumbledore, Harry –probably Hermione by association-, and now you," she admitted.

He took a moment to let the information sink in looking at her whilst deep in thought. She wanted him to say something, anything. The silence after her confession was tearing her up inside. She hoped she did the right thing by telling him.

"So, am I still a knobhead in 2018, or is it just right now?" He asked sheepishly, pink tinging his cheeks. She looked at him in amazement – THAT was his response to all of this?!

"I-I wouldn't know, the first time I met you was now, in 1994," she answered honestly.

He formally apologized for the knobheaded behavior and they continued on in a similar fashion. Eventually, Charlie ended up laying opposite from her on the bed. Charlie would ask questions about things in 2018 or the future in general and Athena would answer to the best of her abilities without giving away too much. The emotional day had drained her completely and she didn't even notice herself falling asleep, the last thing she remembered was Charlie whispering a quiet goodnight before the darkness overcame her.


	14. Once Upon A Dream

Chapter 14: Once Upon A Dream

It was very early in the morning, Athena could tell by the way the dew clung to the wild grass growing along the sides of the worn path she walked along in the forest. Many of the trees surrounding her still held on to their leaves of red, orange, gold, purple, and dark green unlike many that she'd seen surrounding Hogwarts lately. This trail was very similar to one her father used to take her and her sister near her hometown when they were very young, well-before their baby brother could join them. In fact, the more she walked, the more the autumn scene blended into a familiar setting, one she knew like the back of her hand: her hometown.

The trees thinned out and the worn path of the forest slowly blended into a concrete sidewalk along the main street of the small town. She could see many of the landmarks from her childhood: the muggle schools, the lonely gas station, a family diner that never seemed to close, and the ice cream stand she visited every summer with her family. Everything was exactly as it was when she left, but something was off. There was nobody in sight, in any direction, anywhere.

She followed the main street for nearly a mile until she came to a bridge that passed over a small river – the brook, as the town called it- and took a sharp right onto a side road that followed the body of water. The road hugged several hills along the brook, and Athena hastened her pace into a jog when she found the one she'd been looking for – the one that led home. She was out of breath by the time she reached the yellow two-story home built into the hill, and felt the adrenaline ignite her veins as she descended a set of stone stairs leading to her family home.

Just like the town, her home was exactly the same, even down to the scuff marks showing the years of wear and tear on the wine-red front door. She reached for the brass door handle, relieved to finally be home and to see her family.

"They're not there," a familiar, yet still-unfamiliar voice announced. She'd heard the voice before and wasn't afraid or worried by it, it was friendly despite the cynical tone it had.

Athena released the door handle, turning around to address the person who'd spoken to her. She was met by a woman, about her height, wearing long dark robes, and had her head bowed. She had long, chocolate brown hair that hung around her face like a curtain obstructing her face.

"Who are you, and where are they?" Athena demanded of the mystery woman.

"I think deep down you know the answer to both those questions," the lady chuckled mirthlessly.

Athena took a minute to assess the situation. The last thing she recalled before walking in the woods that morning was falling asleep talking to Charlie...at Hogwarts...in Scotland...in 1994. She realized what the woman had hinted at – _none of this was real_.

"Now you're getting it."

The woman lifted her head so Athena could see her face. She was surprised to find it was almost her own, but not exactly. This version of her was definitely older, yet not by much. She couldn't have been older than twenty-five, but she looked as though she'd lived a much longer life.

Her chocolate brown eyes were shadowed by dark circles from lack of sleep and like a window, revealed a kind of pain. It was like looking into the eyes of a combat veteran, it was like looking into the eyes of someone who'd seen war.

"Sooooo, is this like A Christmas Carol? Are the ghost of Christmases yet to come?" Athena asked sarcastically.

The woman took several steps towards Athena and smacked her upside the head causing Athena to cry out. "No, idiot I am you. Not you, as you know yourself, but the version of you that exists in the future of your reality."

 _Because that made loads of sense_...

"You're no longer part of this reality," she said waving an arm to indicate the scene around them. "You can't go back."

"But Dumbledore - "

"Fuck everything that senile codger Dumbledore has promised you," the older version of herself hissed, turning her face and no longer meeting her younger self's eyes, "you can't go back, and it's important you know that."

The older Athena lifted her eyes to meet Athena's once more, but this time the pain in them made her own well with emotion. Her older self reached out to hold her hands, grasping them like a lifeline.

"You need to know because you can change things." Athena's surroundings began to blur, becoming less solid by the second. Her older self looked to her in panic.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to talk to you like this again, but you need to try. Please! If you don't then you'll lose everything. You'll really know what it's like to be alone."

Athena was terrified, she had no idea what that meant. What was she supposed to do? This was unlike any dream she'd ever had before. She could _feel_ the pain in her head after getting smacked, she could _feel_ the older version of herself gripping her hands tightly. She was fading though, blurring just like scene around them, Athena still didn't understand.

"Wait! What am I supposed to do?" She begged the now-fading figure. She blended into the many colors swirling around her, no longer a person, only colors blending and fading into a dark nothingness. From the darkness she could swear she heard the voice of her older self once more, pleading desperately, " _help him_."

She woke up with a start and saw that she was still in Charlie's tent, the redhead still asleep, snoring softly beside her. She looked down to her watch - 7:15 – she'd been out all night. She took the opportunity to slip quietly out of the bed and make her way back to the school before most of the student body woke up. Thank Godric it was a Sunday and she wouldn't have to attempt sneaking back in while most people were heading to breakfast or on their way to classes.

Her walk through the Forbidden Forest was cold, much colder than it was last night, and though she thought she was lost several times she used the Four Corners Charm to find her way out, whispering "point me" every hundred feet. She managed to get back to the castle relatively unscathed and snuck in through the smaller doors to the Entrance Hall.

Athena looked around to make sure the coast was clear and quietly closed the doors behind her. She took a single step toward the staircases which lead upstairs only to be pulled to the left behind a statue of weeping maiden.

A hand went straight to her mouth to muffle any sort of noise she made and she licked it, receiving a disgusted "eugh" from her assailant. She was about to tear who ever this person was to shreds when she saw Harry Potter holding a folded bit of parchment, with his hands in the air in surrender.

"Harry, what in Merlin's hairy testicles are you doing?!" She whisper-yelled at the famous fourth year.

He didn't answer. Instead, Hermione appeared out of nowhere next to him, but she was only partly visible the rest of her form shrouded by the shimmering deception of an invisibility cloak. Last night was starting to make much more sense. She knew her imagination wasn't clever enough to see the Boy Who Lived's head floating around just from a little alcohol.

"You've got an invisibility cloak" Athena stated, dumbfounded.

"Shush and follow us," Hermione instructed, folding the cloak neatly in her arms.

It was too early to launch into a series of questions for the odd fourth years, so she went along with it. Rather than taking the stairwell leading to Gryffindor Tower, Athena walked behind Harry and Hermione who had their heads bowed over the parchment Harry had down a stairwell leading to the dungeons. Athena walked faster, taking a position on Harry's left, too see what they'd been looking at.

Much to her surprise, there were several banners with names on them floating around the page, moving in several different directions. Directly in the center were three banners with Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, and Athena Mayall moving in a line together down a path labeled "Dungeon Stairs."

"And a magic map?!" Athena blurted out only to be shushed by Hermione once more. Athena stayed quiet for the remainder of their walk. After a series of turns, they entered a brightly lit hallway filled with portraits primarily depicting food. Athena's stomach clenched from hunger, hoping that wherever they were taking her there would be food.

At the end of the hall was a large portrait of a spilled cornucopia of fruit. Hermione and Harry just stared at the portrait for a moment, leaving Athena more confused than she'd been all morning. Even her dream-self had made more sense than their behavior. She cleared her throat.

Hermione shook her head as if escaping from a trance. "Right," she said, "Fred asked me if I knew of a fruit that was ticklish, I thought he was barmy so I disregarded it when I asked him about the Kitchens."

Ah, so they'd taken her to the Kitchens! She had no idea why, but a soft gurgle came from her stomach, letting her know it was a good time for some breakfast. Harry was busy arguing with Hermione about what that meant and Athena was still not fully awake. She wasn't sure why they were constantly bickering like an old married couple, maybe some teenage hormones? She didn't have time to worry about that because the gurgle had turned into a full-fledged growl as the true nature of Athena's hunger came to the surface.

Athena reached out to touch the portrait, which had surprisingly been textured with a material that felt like a combination of velvet and felt. While the two fourth years continued arguing over the mystery of Fred Weasley's hint, Athena felt the light green image of a large pair twitch under her finger. Magical portraits were known to move, but she had never had the experience of interacting with one by means of touch before. Hermione said something about Fred asking about a ticklish fruit and she got an idea, setting her fingertips lightly on the depiction of the pear and began to tickle it.

The portrait emitted a light, twinkling giggle as the pair writhed underneath Athena's fingers and a dull green doorknob appeared on the portrait. It was then Athena noticed Harry and Hermione stopped fighting.

"How did you do that?" Hermione wondered.

"I tickled the pear." Athena shrugged, turning the handle and letting the portrait swing open to reveal the Kitchens.

Athena looked around the enormous, high-ceilinged room that was nearly identical to the Great Hall, including five wooden tables matching the ones set up in the sister room. Hundreds of brass pots and pans hung from the stone walls except for a gigantic fireplace made of red brick which was set into the walls and overlooked a series of ovens and stoves. Hundreds of house elves milled about between the tables and the cooking area carrying large platters of breakfast foods and pastries in preparation for breakfast. One house elf bounded toward them, Harry more specifically, engulfing the boy in a hug.

"MISTER HARRY POTTER," it wailed, clutching onto Harry's legs. "DOBBY IS SO HAPPY TO SEE HIS FRIEND, HARRY POTTER!"

"Dobby?!" Harry asked surprised.

Athena took in Dobby's appearance, he was about three feet tall – an average-size house elf-, had huge green eyes like tennis balls, and a long pencil-thin nose. He wore a tea cozy as a hat, a patterned tie adorned with brightly colored buttons - including one of Hermione's S.P.E.W. pins - over a bare chest, a pair of worn children's shorts and old mismatched socks. It was the first time Athena had seen a house elf so oddly dressed. Most of the ones she'd seen at MACUSA had uniforms and the ones she'd seen in Britain wore burlap sacks or pillow cases. They were understated, very unlike Dobby who stood there happily mismatched in a bizarre outfit in front of her.

Harry introduced Dobby to Athena as a friend and vice versa, causing the house elf to squeal with delight. He instructed the Gryffindors to sit at a small round table near the doorway and that he would bring them snacks to eat. Athena was grateful to know that she would be fed and gladly took a seat. Dobby returned not long after with plates piled high with scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausages, and potatoes. Athena took the opportunity to ask the elf a question she'd being dying to know since she arrived in September.

"Dobby, do you know how to make coffee?" She prayed the big-eyed house elf knew what she was talking about.

"Of course we does, Miss Athena! What shall you be liking then: espresso, cappuccino, Americano? Dobby can bring you whatever you likes, Miss!"

This had to be the greatest news she'd received in a long time. She'd gone months without the glorious muggle drink that left her more functional than any pepper-up potion ever could. She asked the house elf for a cup of Americano and he took off once more. While he was away she saw the serious looks Harry and Hermione shared before looking at her.

"If you're preparing to interrogate me, I might as well eat," she announced before piling food onto an empty plate Dobby had brought each of them. They followed suit. Dobby soon returned with a huge steaming mug of brown liquid and placed it in front of Athena. The smell instantly soothed her, piercing through the foggy veil leftover from her alcoholic binge the previous night. This particular blend of spicy and nutty notes brought her a sense of peace. She felt ready to talk with the younger Gryffindors now.

"You were in the Forbidden Forest last night, Harry," she said before inhaling several strips of bacon.

"So were you," he quipped. Damn, this boy was sassy.

"I was invited."

"So was I. Who invited you?" He inquired before digging into his eggs.

"Charlie Weasley," she said, not divulging any additional details.

"I saw him last night too! He was talking to Hagrid about the... the-"

"Dragons?" Athena finished his thought. He confirmed, mentioning that Hagrid sent him a note asking him to meet him by the Forbidden Forest with his father's invisibility cloak. Apparently, it was a known fact that Harry had an invisibility cloak. She listened to the rest of his spiel while finishing her breakfast and enjoying her first cup of coffee in months.

He mentioned seeing Madame Maxime and Karkaroff also in the woods last night, indicating they also knew about the First Task.

Hermione picked up from there and knowing Athena's true background, thanks to Harry, asked if she could help them prepare him for the First Task. Unfortunately, Athena's knowledge of the actual Triwizard Tasks was limited and she freely admitted that, but she recalled the parting words of her dream self from only hours ago, help him. Heeding the advice, she promised she would help him in any way she could.

"On one condition," she looked deeply into Harry's emerald eyes, "you need to tell Cedric. He's the only one who won't know."

It didn't take much for him to agree to her condition, and he admitted he was planning on telling Cedric anyway. When they finished their meals, Harry was quick to apologize about the Daily Prophet article and how that must have made her feel. Hermione supplemented it by telling her to ignore it all because she knew the truth and that's what mattered. For a couple of teenagers that she only met a few months ago, they were quick to welcome her into their circle and Athena was grateful for that.

Hermione suggested they meet in the Library to do some research before developing a plan. Athena agreed, but specified she would need to go back to her dorm to shower and change before they started. Harry waggled his eyebrows suggestively earning a whack on the shoulder from Hermione. She left the two younger Gryffindors in the kitchens and head back in the direction of her dorm. Today had already been eventful and it wasn't even 9 AM.

Athena received several dirty looks on her way back to Gryffindor Tower from students of all ages and houses, and she supposed Rita Skeeter was to thank for that. Yet, that wasn't the only attention she'd been receiving, Ginny was quick to give her a hug and a handshake upon walking through the portrait hole, congratulating her for the fabulous black eye her brother Ron was sporting that morning. Athena had actually forgotten she'd decked Ron for being a jerk yesterday. Part of her felt bad, but the stronger voice in her head agreed with Ginny, he deserved it.

She didn't know what to expect when she arrived at her dorm, but she was honestly surprised when the door swung open to reveal Amelia. The taller girl enveloped Athena in a bone-crushing embrace apologizing at about a hundred words a minute. She dragged Athena into the dorm and presented her with a series of bags from Honeydukes as a gift, an offering of apology in chocolate form. Athena didn't know what to do or say, and she honestly wasn't upset anymore over the trash Skeeter-piece. That didn't mean she knew what she was going to say to her roommate, she looked at the willowy girl who appeared to be sincerely apologetic.

"I'm only going to ask once, then we are going to drop this whole thing," Athena said slowly, her eyes not leaving Amelia's, nor wavering, once. "What did you tell her?"

Amelia launched back into a series of apologies and Athena held up a hand to her mouth. It was then she noticed how puffy and bloodshot Amelia's eyes were – she'd been crying.

"Just tell me the truth, Meels," Athena requested plainly.

Amelia's shoulders relaxed when she heard the nickname. Athena removed her hand, allowing Amelia to take in a deep, shaky breath before she explained exactly what had happened.

Skeeter had approached Amelia, and asked if she could speak as a prefect regarding some students. She only asked whether she knew Athena and she replied that they were roommates. Skeeter had also asked about Cedric and Athena, to which Amelia replied she only knew that they had a class together. That was it. She begged Athena to believe her, that she hadn't said anything about her and Cedric.

That was enough for Athena to forgive her. It didn't make sense that this girl, who had been so kind and friendly, would turn on her in such a nasty way. She could almost hear Hermione's voice saying that Skeeter was a horrible woman who twisted people's words. She believed it.

Athena excused herself to shower and change, telling Amelia that she would likely be in the Library all day trying to catch up on some assignments - not mentioning the real reason was her rendezvous with Harry and Hermione.

Amelia seemed entirely content with their newly repaired friendship and dismissed it, saying that she may join her later that afternoon as she walked out the door. Everything was happening so quickly this morning: her dream, the surprise meeting with Harry and Hermione, and her encounter with Amelia. Something felt wrong, but Athena couldn't put her finger on it - it would bother her for the rest of the day.

Athena's meeting with Harry and Hermione didn't last very long in the Library. Several nosy students had already interrupted them to ask Athena whether anything about the article was true. She ignored them, allowing Hermione to swat them away like fruit flies. The sight was actually rather impressive, but not conducive to Harry's preparation. Hermione suggested they ask their Head of House to use her classroom to practice in, it was empty on the weekend and that way no one would bother them. Luckily, Professor McGonagall agreed with Hermione's logic and allowed them to utilize the empty classroom.

Athena picked up on small things that showed McGonagall's preference for her house by the small things would do for her lions. She may not have children of her own, but every Gryffindor was one of her cubs, and she would do anything to help them, including letting Athena and Hermione help Harry prepare for the First Task. While Hermione studied the species of dragons more specifically, Athena was working with Harry on his shield charm. The one thing he had to be prepared for with any of the creatures was fire.

From one side of the room Athena would cast the Incendio charm, while Harry defended himself with a shield charm. For some reason he thought that every time he shouted "protego" louder and louder, his shield would get stronger. Harry was a good wizard, but not the brightest sometimes. Eventually he was beginning to fatigue, and Hermione pointed out that they'd been at it for nearly three hours. Harry suggested they take a break, regroup, and practice something else for a little while. The ladies agreed and Harry excused himself from the room to visit the loo.

Athena walked over to one of the long narrow windows that illuminated the classroom. Though the November sky was cloudy, it was bright enough to sting her eyes. She looked out over the grounds watching small groups of students walk around the grounds, looking small from her position in the castle window. Her gaze moved to the forest and she thought about Charlie. He knew the truth about her, but she had no idea what that meant for their friendship. He'd been so angry with her, she'd never seen someone so upset – so hurt – by being lied to.

She hoped he understood why she had to keep her real life secret, why Dumbledore asked her to anyway. She also hoped he wouldn't be too angry with her for slipping off so early this morning. She shouldn't have drank with him and his colleagues, she should've gone back to the castle like she had intended, because being around him only confused her more. She'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't attracted to the older Weasley, but he's made it clear at the beginning of term that their – whatever it was – was strictly platonic.

She let out an exasperated sigh, prompting her younger companion to ask, "knut for for your thoughts?"

Athena looked at Hermione, who had recently closed the large tome in front of her with a 'thump' sending a small cloud of dust out of its ancient pages. Harry had told her about Athena's misfortune, but Hermione hadn't asked her once about the future or anything related to it and she was grateful for it. It was hard to explain the things that were happening to her, mostly the things going on inside her head, because at every moment she felt some kind of conflict, like she was supposed to be doing something but didn't know what it was.

Athena merely shook her head, unwilling to open that can of flobberworms. Harry burst back into the room with a look of frantic excitement. He slammed the classroom door behind him and crossed the room to where the girls were.

"Professor Moody has just given me a brilliant idea!" He announced with glee.

The corners of Athena's mouth downturned. She was skeptical about anything that particular lunatic said. Moody was certainly an unconventional professor, often breaking his normal patterns of speech to shout "CONSTANT VIGILANCE" at random intervals. She'd been learning quite a bit from the ex-auror in DADA, but couldn't shake the feeling that something about the man was just off. She felt very wary around him, and often noticed the way his magical eye would linger, if only for a moment, on her – analyzing her.

"Well, what is it?" Hermione demanded impatiently, crossing her arms in front of her. Harry briefly mentioned running into the professor on his way back from the bathroom and talking about his preparations for the First Task. Apparently, Moody suggested that he wouldn't have to defeat the dragon, but just had to get around it. Athena rolled her eyes, of course Moody already knew what they'd have to do.

"Athena," he looked at her, excitement not leaving his eyes, "how can I get my broom without bringing it to the Task?"

Hermione answered, "you can try a Summoning Charm!"

Athena thought about it for a moment. It _could_ work, but she only had a few days to teach Harry a spell that she didn't even learn until her sixth year! The three of them discussed the probabilities of the plan, and came up with a backup in case it didn't work. For the rest of the day they practiced in the Transfiguration classroom and by dinner Harry had managed to summon a desk and a few chairs. With more practice, he might just have a chance in the First Task.


	15. No Diggity

**A/N: Leave a review :) or don't, that's okay too…I guess.**

Chapter 15: No Diggity

The next few days felt like Athena had been thrown into one of those films about a muggle high school. Wherever she looked people were whispering, snickering, or staring at her. She cursed Rita Skeeter for the hundredth time and tried to ignore it. Her only reprieve from the constant attention was found in the Kitchens, and she made sure to thank Harry for her newly acquired knowledge. The house elves were pleasant, and Athena found Dobby particularly entertaining with the way his large, watery, tennis ball sized eyes would light up with excitement when she entered the room. It was certainly refreshing compared to the stares she received everywhere else in the castle.

Tuesday morning was particularly difficult. After enjoying a steaming cup of coffee, courtesy of Dobby, Athena departed the Kitchens for her History of Magic lesson. She hadn't seen, let alone spoken, to Cedric since the article came out and now she'd be forced to sit next to him for an entire lesson. She went over scenarios in her head about how the next hour could possibly play out, but didn't notice a group of Slytherins rounding the corner until it was too late.

"Oi, fellas, look what we 'ave 'ere!" one called out in a cockney accent.

Athena looked up to see a group of six Slytherins, only two of whom she recognized. One was Draco Malfoy, he was the pompous platinum blonde brat in Harry's year she has the displeasure of meeting on the train. The other one she knew was Tarquin Carlyle, the only Slytherin taking N.E.W.T.-level Ancient Runes. Carlyle mostly kept to himself in the class, and Athena found no reason to dislike him thus far. The rest she'd never seen before.

The greasy white-blonde fourth year crossed his arms pretentiously. "What is a _Gryffindor_ ," he spat the word like it was poison, "doing in the Dungeons?"

She kept walking down the corridor towards the stairs leading to the Entrance Hall. She has no reason to explain herself to them and stayed silent. Walking by the spot where they stood, deliberately ignoring them.

"Did you hear me you, filthy Yankee?" Malfoy hissed. "I'm talking to you."

Thinking before speaking probably would have been a smart thing to do, but Athena wasn't always logical in times like these. "I don't mind you talking so much, as long as you don't mind me not listening." She heard a snort followed by a grunt of pain, looking over her shoulder to see the short chubby boy beside Malfoy clutching his side in pain. Her eyes also caught Tarquin appraising her with a raised brow, almost as if he didn't believe she had it in her to be sarcastic. Little did he know...

She turned back around to face the group of Slytherins, looking Draco directly in the eyes. "Malfoy, right?" she asked rhetorically, quickly continuing, "You see, Malfoy, I don't have time to waste verbally sparring with you because I have class. Moreover, I have a lesson to get to."

She watched in amusement as it took a moment for him to comprehend the insult, but as soon as he had she was quick to spin around and ascend the stairs, leaving several Slytherins stunned behind her. Relishing in her victory, Athena walked to her lesson with her head held high often throwing a harsh look at the groups she found whispering or staring as she walked by. She felt like she was on a high, and vowed that she wouldn't allow small-minded people and their small-minded gossip to get to her.

History of Magic was just as awkward as Athena had anticipated. For the first half hour, Cedric sat extremely still, unwaveringly focused on their ghost-professor as he droned on about the Persecutory Period of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It was clear that he wasn't going to be the one to initiate a conversation, so Athena had to be the one to do something. Scribbling a note on a spare piece of paper she folded it and slid it over the desk to where Cedric sat, looking like a statue.

From the angle she was at, Athena could just see Cedric's eyes shift in the direction of the note, but it was still two more minutes before he finally moved. He took the note, unfolded it and looked to Athena confused. She had literally scribbled a nonsense word, unsure if he'd even take the note given his behavior for the first half of the class. She shrugged, offering him a small smile. It was a peace offering – a sign that she wasn't mad at _him_ about the subject of Rita Skeeter's article. Soon enough he was sliding the paper back to her, and they continued passing notes just as they had all term.

 _Where have you been? I've been trying to find you since Saturday. Are you alright?_

He had been looking for her? That was news to her. Amelia hadn't said anything to her about it. _I just needed some time to think._

 _We should talk._ She looked at him, eyes wide and he nodded sincerely.

 _Okay._ He kept the paper for a while before sending it back to Athena.

 _I thought you hated me. Then Harry found me in the Courtyard yesterday, to tell me what you asked him to do. Thank you._

She re-read the line over and over until the bell rang, ending the class. She reached over to grab his sleeve before he could walk away. The sad look in Cedric's eyes as he looked down at her made her chest twinge with guilt. "I don't think I could ever hate you," she told him. He smiled back at her, repeating that they really needed to talk, but he had another class to get to and that he would find her at some point soon. She said her goodbyes and breathed a sigh of relief – talking with Cedric was easier than she'd expected it to be.

Tuesday dragged on longer than usual for Athena, but she noticed that the harsher her glares were at whispering students in the halls, the less she noticed them doing it for the remainder of the day. The confidence she boosted from her interactions earlier that day followed her to Ancient Runes that afternoon. Only a handful of students took the class at N.E.W.T.-level, but Athena enjoyed the subject and the teacher, Professor Babbling, had a happy talent of making the subject more interesting than it had any business being.

At the N.E.W.T.-level, students were tasked with translating and transcribing tomes, scrolls, and other ancient texts, but every once in a while, Professor Babbling would give them the occasional riddle or a short myth. They did most of the work on their own, which Athena grew to appreciate. She found comfort in the smells of old parchment and ink combined with the sound of quills scratching against the paper, and the atmosphere of the classroom felt more akin to a museum than a school.

Scrolls and tapestries hung on the wall, each with its own unique history, creating a collage of writings and images encompassing thousands of years of history and hundreds of languages. One of Athena's favorite scrolls hung on the wall in a shadowed corner of the room near where she sat. The subject was nothing special, it was only the instructions for brewing a sleeping draught from the late 18th century. What made the scroll special wasn't the content, but the intricate script it was written in. Each stroke of the lines creating the letters was smooth and deliberate, carefully planned yet effortless, utilitarian and magnificent.

Athena admired beautiful handwriting for as long as she could remember, and worked very hard to make her own look the way it did today. Even when she attended muggle elementary school, she recalled handwriting lessons to be the only subject she did homework in consistently. In those days, she was a terrible student and she freely admitted it, but something about the way it felt to string a series of shapes together to create language always inspired her to improve her writing.

A cough from her right brought her out of the memory as she looked into the pointed face of Tarquin Carlyle. The brunette Slytherin who she ran into earlier that morning was watching her with a mixture of curiosity and disdain. When someone's face is normally twisted into a scowl, it's often difficult to tell exactly what emotions they were attempting to portray. He had sharp, aristocratic features, a long thin nose, pale skin, thin lips, and dark blue eyes that were deeply set in his skull. He definitely fit the classic European pureblood stereotype.

"May I help you?" Athena asked, automatically assuming a defensive tone. He immediately held his hands up in surrender.

"Easy, now, are all Americans usually this aggressive?" he smirked, raising a groomed brow. "Had you been listening, Babbling asked us to pair up for an assignment." He pointed over to a desk where the other two students in the class, Ravenclaws, sat, "Davies is an idiot, despite being a Ravenclaw, and Tanningworth's voice is so annoying I'd rather kiss a flobberworm than work with her. You seem competent enough, and I believe I can overlook your Gryffindor-ness...for now."

If she didn't know any better, she'd say that that might have been a compliment, but with only four students in the class, options for potential partners were limited. She gestured for the Slytherin to take the empty seat beside her. He complied, placing a rolled piece of parchment between them on the desk explaining that Babbling wanted them to work together translating the documents which contained several ancient rune languages, but when translated told a coherent story in English.

Athena reached into her bag, pulling out several pieces of paper and one of her fountain pens. Carlyle eyed the instrument warily, and Athena explained that Ilvermorny wasn't as antiquated as Hogwarts, insisting everyone used them in America. The truth was, she missed ball-point pens, but these were the closest she could get. He didn't question it further and began the assignment.

Surprisingly, the two worked well together and were nearly finished translating the parchment. They might have even been done by now, if it weren't for the constant distractions from their classmates. Each time Cecily Tanningworth let out a high-pitched squealing giggle at something her partner Roger Davies said, Athena glared in their direction tempted to tell the obnoxious girl to shut the hell up, but successfully resisting the urge every time.

"I think a mandrake seedling has escaped the greenhouses, someone should tell Professor Sprout," she muttered under her breath. Carlyle let out a low chuckle.

"You know, Mayall, I think you'd make a fair Slytherin," he remarked with a smile. Without thinking, she agreed aloud. Now she had Tarquin Carlyle's full attention. He leaned closer to Athena as she finished the final sentence of their translation with a flourish. The story turned out to be a tale similar to the muggle fable "The Prince and the Pauper", except with a wizard and a squib as the subjects of the story.

"Did you just agree with me?" asked the Slytherin, sounding shocked.

Athena didn't think it was a big deal, explaining that her house at Ilvermorny, Thunderbird, was often compared to Slytherin in literature about the schools. She felt his eyes analyzing her, as if she was an ancient rune herself and needed to be translated. A nervous energy built up inside her while she continues staring at the page of her writing, looking over the words for any errors. An interrogation was about to ensue, she could feel it and she was instantly reminded of a muggle detective film she'd seen once.

One of the main characters was a spy and explained the trick for telling an effective lie, "stay as close to the truth as possible and don't give away unnecessary details – the details will be your downfall." If Carlyle was about to ask her anything, she had to be prepared to answer in the least suspicious way that she could. She had enough unwanted attention around the school thanks to Rita Skeeter, she didn't need the Slytherins crafting conspiracies about her too.

"What's your story, Mayall?"

"It's not much of a story," she shrugged. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Tarquin Carlyle was not convinced of that in the slightest.

"That's complete bollocks and you know it. Hogwarts hasn't had a transfer, let alone an American one, in years and here you are, out of the blue, there's a story," he insisted. "Who are you?"

She gave him the lame story Dumbledore had crafted for her about her dead family, and moving her newly-orphaned self to Surrey with her squib grandmother. He seemed to accept that answer, but didn't let the conversation stop there. He seemed to believe there was no logical reason she couldn't finish school in the States considering she lived at school most of the year, and theorized that something else brought her to Hogwarts that year.

His guesses ranged from inadequate educators at Ilvermorny to hearing about the Triwizard Tournament and trying to have a go herself. He mentioned how incredibly Slytherin-like the latter reason would be. Athena was bored with the whole thing, wishing she'd been approached by Cecily instead, because at least her squawking and squealing didn't give Athena anxiety. Carlyle only paused his questioning when he'd asked to review their work to check for errors. Athena looked at her silver wristwatch, only ten more minutes of torture then she'd be free. She chanted "ten more minutes" over and over in her head, willing time to go faster.

"Or," her annoyingly talkative partner started as his eyes slowly looked up from the page containing their assignment to scrutinize her, "you're not who you say you are."

Athena's heart nearly stopped beating, but she forced herself to maintain her composure. She didn't trust herself to speak without faltering and opted for directing a dry, unimpressed look at Carlyle which read 'really?'

"You're hiding something." It wasn't a question, but rather an accusation. He placed their completed assignment back on the desk between them, swiveling in his chair to face her, "you're lying about it all, aren't you?"

Athena grabbed the page with the intent to turn it in to Professor Babbling, hopefully she'd let them go a little early if she knew they were done. She didn't get very far, barely standing up from her chair when Carlyle snapped, "You're not a filthy _mudblood_ , are you?"

 _SMACK._

A bright red mark began forming on Tarquin Carlyle's right cheek, and the sound had been loud enough to garner the attention of the now-quiet Ravenclaws along with a gob smacked Professor Babbling. Athena grabbed her pen and her bag, marched to the front and placed the assignment on the teacher's desk at the front of the room. She was vaguely aware that blood-status was still a hotly contested issue in the 90s, but the fact that she'd been called that foul term was enough to make her blood boil. Athena had very little patience for people who judged others by their heritage rather than their abilities or the content of their character, and she refused to let intolerant bigots like Carlyle get away with their ignorant behavior unscathed.

Athena smiled sweetly at Professor Babbling, whose mouth was still gaping. "I apologize for the disturbance, Professor. Thank you for today's assignment, it was certainly _enlightening_ ," emphasizing the last word heavily. She left the classroom without bothering to look at the reactions of her classmates and let the heavy wooden door slam behind her.

It didn't matter that Carlyle had been right. Athena was a muggleborn, and a far more talented witch than most of her pureblooded classmates could ever dream of being. She knew it, Dumbledore could see it, and one day everyone would see it too. The voice of her future self from her dream started playing through her mind, making more sense now. It wasn't just a warning – it was an instruction. She would change things here. It was her mission, and perhaps the reason she was here, alive, in this time. She would take her knowledge, her passion, her anger and use it to guide her. With this thought on her mind, she walked through the halls more determined than ever.


	16. Without You

Chapter 16: Without You

News of Athena's altercation in Ancient Runes spread quickly through the halls of Hogwarts. Instead of reducing the amount of attention she'd been receiving, the story had only caused more people to notice her. This attention was different though, except for the Slytherins who glared and heckled her, mixing in occasional threat to keep things interesting. She noticed that people from various houses were actually talking _to_ her rather than about her, introducing themselves and thanking or congratulating her and extending their sincerest welcome to Hogwarts.

It was strange, considering that just yesterday most of these people treated her like a venomous tentacula that sprouted legs and began walking through the halls. Even Patti, the roommate she barely knew –or saw for that matter-, made sure to say something nice during breakfast. She smiled, remembering the way pumpkin juice shot from Amelia's nose, coughing and sputtering in amazement when it happened. Despite her status as a prefect, Amelia was just as proud of Athena's actions as it seemed most of the school was. A third year Gryffindor, Colin Creevey, had even waited for her outside of the Transfiguration classroom, to profess his undying love for her – much to Amelia's amusement.

The Weasley twins even turned a profit from the event, charging gullible first and second years a sickle each to hear the story in explicit detail. She and Amelia had caught them in a corridor on the fourth floor while they were on their way to their DADA lesson that afternoon. Unsurprisingly, they'd exaggerated many of the details, making it sound like she'd been dueling Merlin himself, rather than putting a smarmy idiot in his place. Amelia, as prefect, felt obligated to break up the silly gathering as they passed much to the disappointment of the twins and several younger students who paid them already.

When they arrived at their classroom, they noticed that the furniture had been pushed to the sides to create a large open area in the center of the room where a plush blue mat covered most of the stone floor.

"I wonder if we'll be dueling today," Amelia commented, acknowledging the room's appearance.

A few more students trickled in before Professor Moody hobbled into the room from the door of his adjoining office, leaning heavily on a walking stick made of gnarled wood, its rough and uneven features matching the grizzled ex-auror's scarred face. Shouting, "CONSTANT VIGILANCE" as he limped his way to the center of the room, pausing once to take a deep swig from a flask he kept on his hip while his magical eye spun wildly in its socket.

"Today's class," he grunted, "is a practical lesson on physically attacking your opponent."

The whole class began whispering, but silenced when Moody slammed his wooden staff hard against the stone floor. "Recent events," he looked pointedly in Athena's direction with an amused smirk, or what looked like one, on his marred lips, "made me realize that only _some_ _of you_ know how to fight without a wand." She felt her whole body flush with heat. Even the professors heard about what happened yesterday.

Across the room, Cecily Tanningworth scoffed. "But, Professor, why would be fighting without wands?" Was the Sorting Hat sure about putting this one in Ravenclaw? Even Amelia rolled her eyes at the stupid question. Moody hobbled closer to Cecily and responded in a demeaning tone, "because, Tanningworth, when you've been disarmed by your opponent are you going to just give up and let them maim, torture, or kill you?!"

The Ravenclaw looked ready to respond when Moody growled, "don't answer that, daft girl." A majority of the class laughed at the remark, and few noticed when Moody's magical eye settled on the door of the classroom. He grunted once more and hobbled back to the center of the room just before a knock sounded from the door.

"Come in!" he yelled, grumbling things under his breath. The wooden door creaked open revealing a severe looking Professor McGonagall.

"Alastor," she greeted plainly, "I've been asked to escort Miss Mayall to the headmaster's office." A chorus of "ooh" drifted around the classroom. Though Athena didn't believe it was possible, the smirk on Moody's face grew. He looked at her with a disconcerting glint in his regular eye and instructed her to follow McGonagall.

Athena followed her Head of House as they walked in complete silence, McGonagall only speaking when they reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office. "Sticky toffee pudding." So, he'd changed it since Athena had been there last. The witches ascended the spiral stone staircase, entering the office where Dumbledore was tinkering with one of the many silver knick-knacks that covered his desk.

"Thank you, Minerva, that will be all," he spoke softly, not looking away from the device. Professor McGonagall nodded once, giving Athena a stern look and exited the room, her emerald green robes billowing behind her. As soon as the door to the office closed with a barely audible 'click' the headmaster discarded the silver object in his hands to focus his attention on Athena. The older wizard held out a hand to the chair in front of his desk, inviting Athena to sit, his icy blue eyes twinkling over the half-moon frames of his spectacles.

She recalled her suspicion the headmaster might be a legilimens and made a mental note to avoid direct eye contact at all costs. Her knowledge of occlumency was extremely limited, in that, she only knew the name and general principles of the practice, never having studied or performed it herself. She didn't mind telling Dumbledore what she was thinking, but preferred to do it on her own terms instead of having her thoughts invaded. She attempted to clear her mind, picturing a forest with brightly colored autumn leaves – just in case. They sat in silence for a few moments.

Eventually, the headmaster broke the silence, "Miss Mayall, I've been hearing your name more and more recently. Lately, the news has been concerning, is there anything you wish to tell me?"

She looked at her hands, folded in her lap. "Where should I start?" The sarcastic tone wasn't necessary, but more often than not she couldn't help it.

She looked up in time to see the headmaster chuckle, his shoulders shaking slightly with laughter and focused her gaze just above his right ear. Though lighthearted for a moment, his face turned serious. "Miss Mayall, let's begin with something I hope we will not have to discuss ever again. Violence and physical harm to other students is not tolerated at Hogwarts, and while I do not doubt you have a reason for your behavior during Professor Babbling's class, please note that the consequences of any future violent behavior will be more severe. Ten points have been taken from Gryffindor."

"Yes, Professor," she acknowledged robotically while thinking if he hadn't called her a mudblood, she _probably_ wouldn't have hit him or if she just waited until class ended and did it in the hallway she may have gotten away with it.

"Now then, let's move on to the reason I've called you here today." Disciplining her for hitting Carlyle wasn't the reason? Seeing her confusion, he elaborated, "Would you care to explain why Charlie Weasley has sent me a letter, inquiring after your welfare?" He picked up an opened letter that had been sitting on his desk for good measure.

She could feel her face instinctively settling into a frown, she'd forgot about Charlie with everything else that happened in the last twenty-four hours. He found the time to send a letter to Dumbledore, but couldn't be bothered to send one to her apologizing for the other night? She was glad it had been cold the last few days, the prick deserved to suffer a little after the way he'd behaved. She wasn't much better, but at least she could blame most of her actions on the ridiculous amount of firewhiskey she consumed.

The more she thought about it, she'd been on a rule-breaking bender: physical fights, out past curfew, sneaking into the Kitchens, going into the Forbidden Forest, and consuming alcohol on the grounds (even though she was of age here). She hadn't been this rebellious at Ilvermorny, she liked to cause trouble, sure, but never to the extent that she had in the last few days. _So much for laying low_ , she thought sarcastically.

"What exactly do you mean by 'inquire after my welfare', Professor?"

He didn't answer immediately, so Athena followed up, "he thinks I'm crazy." _Called it_ , the voice in her head teased when Dumbledore still didn't answer her. Her shoulders slumped, being right this time didn't feel good. "I told him the truth about me and he thinks I'm crazy." She leaned forward in the chair and let her face fall into her hands.

"It's difficult to say," he replied cautiously, "from the way this letter was written, he appears to believe your story, at least partially."

If that was meant to be comforting, it wasn't. What came next wasn't either.

"Miss Mayall, as you know, I've been in contact with several colleagues of mine who study time, and I believe that Mr. Weasley might have mentioned something called the Veil when you told him about your circumstances." She nodded, interested to see where he could be going with this.

He mentioned that knowledge about the structure was very limited, and no one had been able to determine the Veil's age, origin, or function. Moreover, the few reports Unspeakables kept only recited incidents of death resulting from interaction with the unknown substance of the Veil. She recalled Charlie mentioning a classmate of Bill that was found dead near the archway after at least two weeks of being missing. Some people were found, others disappeared entirely and there was no way to know what had happened to them.

"Miss Mayall, the reason I am telling you this is the same reason Charlie Weasley has written me." She held her breath. "I think you've known for some time what I've been asked to tell you." Oh, _she knew_. She had desperately, perhaps foolishly, clung on to the hope that there was a way she could go back to the time – to the life - she left behind.

She nodded solemnly, all the emotion had gone from her face. "And now we say it out loud," Athena responded mirthlessly. "I can never go back."

She didn't need to look at the headmaster for confirmation to see it was true. The faint flicker of hope she'd been carrying around with her had been doused with the truth of her situation. She wished she hadn't said anything to Charlie Weasley, at least she might have held on to that hope a little while longer. Numbness set in, making her limbs feel like lead weights had been tied to them. She sat in the headmaster's office unable to move, but unfortunately still able to think. Still able to recall that she knew that this could happen, she'd even thought about what she would do if this happened...and it happened...but she didn't know what to do.

In her daze, she could faintly hear Dumbledore apologize and heard the voice of the future self she had met in her dream saying, 'I told you so.' It wasn't in a mocking tone, intended to make her feel worse about the horrible situation she now found herself in. It was more sorrowful and sincere than that, she had warning, knew this was coming, but it still stung like a fresh wound.

She didn't remember leaving Dumbledore's office or walking to Gryffindor Tower, she didn't remember how she got to her room, and she didn't remember how long she'd been crying. She cried more than she ever had in her life these last few months, but at least she felt like she finally had a reason to cry. She was grieving. She grieved for Johnny, her parents, her brother and sister, and everyone she loved and left behind.

She would never see her best friend become Thunderbird's quidditch captain or meet her future nieces and nephews and they would never know their aunt, the witch, first and only in the family. Her parents wouldn't be there when she got married. She would never have the chance to say goodbye to them, to tell them she loved them one last time. She couldn't remember how or when she fell asleep, pleading to the universe to see her loved ones just once, even if it was only in her dreams.

Waking up on Thursday should've been harder, it didn't feel right emotionally. The only thing that did seem right was the grey, overcast sky that shrouded the sky for days at a time. Athena convinced herself to get out of bed and get dressed for class, at least it would distract her. If she continued to wallow in her misery, she would drive herself insane for sure.

Athena decided to skip breakfast, not feeling hungry even though she missed dinner the previous night as well. She also didn't want to deal with the Great Hall. There were too many people, people that bothered her all day yesterday and she wasn't all that interested in a repeat performance. Instead, she took her time getting ready. She put her makeup on the same way she did every day and looked into the mirror, if today were any other day she'd probably just throw her hair into a ponytail and be done with it, but today was different and she felt it in her bones.

She looked through a stack of discarded _Witch Weekly_ magazines Amelia kept by her nightstand. "Bedtime reading material," she called it. Yeah, okay. She flipped through the pages of several issues before finding what she had been looking for. Every issue contained different glamour charms that did everything from correcting acne to matching the shape of one's eyebrows. In this particular issue was a hair straightening charm. She'd only tried it once before when she was thirteen, and…it didn't end well for her hair.

With several more years of experience under her belt, she felt confident performing the charm on herself. Pointing her wand at her head, Athena recited the incantation clearly and carefully, " _rectus facite_." She watched in the mirror as an invisible force swept through her curls like a comb, straightening them as it went. Where her wild bed head once was, a sleek smooth style allowing her to see just how long her hair actually was, ending just between her shoulder blades. She liked it, it was different and made her hair fun to play with. At least she wouldn't be bored during Binns' lecture.

The First Task was scheduled for that afternoon, and Athena guessed Cedric probably had some important Triwizard things to do that morning, so she would most likely be in class alone. She hoped that Harry telling him about the dragons allowed him to prepare. Harry! She'd been so focused on herself for the last few days she hadn't been around to help him practice! He had Hermione, but that didn't stop Athena from feeling guilty about it. She would just have to find him and explain, orphan to orphan. He would understand.

Athena should have just stayed in bed. As she predicted, Cedric wasn't in class and Binns noticed, not because he cared but wanted to give them a quiz. When Athena told the ghost that Cedric had been excused from classes for Tournament reasons, Binns dismissed her which was unusual for the ghost. He would lecture even when no one was in the room, and it wasn't like him to voluntarily give up the opportunity when there WAS a student there. She didn't question it, hurrying back to Gryffindor Tower to change into something more comfortable.

She settled on a pair of jeans, a cream-colored blouse, and a thick tan cardigan sweater. It was one of her favorite fall outfits, and the sweater was warm enough to wear outdoors without a jacket. It would be perfect for the task later that day. Her stomach, tired of being ignored, groaned and growled loudly.

"Okay, I'll feed you!" she said to herself. She had plenty of time to kill before the task and figured a trip to the Kitchens was just what she needed. She'd grown very fond of Dobby, especially because he would bring her a steaming cup of coffee as soon as he saw her walk through the door. With a plan in her head, Athena set off for the Kitchens to feed her grumbling stomach.

Thankfully, it appeared most of the student body was still in class which made it easier for Athena to sneak around without being bothered. When she arrived at the Entrance Hall, usually empty during this time of day she heard several familiar voices. Sure enough, Athena saw Harry chatting with Professor Dumbledore and two red heads she hadn't seen in a while, Bill and Molly Weasley.

 _They must be here to watch Harry in the First Task_ , she reasoned.

Not wanting to interrupt their conversation or explain why she wasn't in class herself, Athena crept by trying not to draw too much attention to herself. She was nearly at the staircase leading to the Dungeons, when a voice called her name. She should have ignored it and kept walking, but she looked in the direction where the voice came from.

Stood there was none other than Cedric Diggory with an older man, slightly shorter than he was who had a full face and the smile of someone who'd won the lottery, and a woman that had shoulder-length auburn hair like his own, pinned back in a half-up do revealing a few silver streaks. His parents. He took after his mother who also had a lopsided smile and vibrant caramel eyes. Cedric excused himself from his parents and crossed the room to where Athena stood frozen by the stairs.

"I thought it was you," he grinned, picking up a stray lock of her newly straightened hair. "You've changed your hair, I almost didn't know it was you," he said mostly to himself, twirling her hair in his fingers.

"Yep," she squeaked, hoping that she wasn't noticed by the other group in the hall.

"Shouldn't you be in class, troublemaker?"

She shrugged, "Binns let me go."

Cedric seemed to accept the answer and didn't push the subject. What he did do was take Athena by the hand and lead her over to where his parents had been waiting, watching them.

"Mum, Dad, I'd like you to meet, Athena Mayall, Hogwarts' first transfer student from the United States of America." His parents looked at her with interest. "Athena, these are my parents, Amos and Adelaide."

Amos outstretched a hand, which she shook firmly, and as soon as he let go, Athena was swiftly swept into a hug by Adelaide. "It's so nice to meet you, our son has told us so much about you," his mother gushed, still embracing Athena.

She made sure to give Cedric a pointed look when she'd been released. "Oh, is that so?" Athena wondered aloud. At least Cedric had the decency to look sheepish, running his hand through his hair as he did when he was nervous.

"Oh, Athena!" Mrs. Diggory's face lit up with excitement. "Cedric was just about to take us on a tour of the grounds, won't you join us?"

She wanted to say no, her stomach wanted her to say no, but the longer she looked at the older witches' eyes, Cedric's eyes, the harder she found it to say no. "Okay," she relented, much to Adelaide Diggory's delight.

Much of their walk around the grounds was spent listening to Cedric's father tell stories about Cedric, praising his many talents and achievements: star quidditch player for Hufflepuff, prefect, handsome, intelligent, and kind. Every word was true, but Cedric would never be the one to say it. He was fairly modest for someone who had accomplished so much by the age of seventeen.

Eventually, Adelaide grew tired of hearing her husband's voice and looped her arm through Athena's so they could walk and together at a comfortable pace. "Now, darling," Adelaide declared, "I know my son very well, I'd like to hear more about you."

She looked around making sure Cedric was a safe distance away and leaned in to whisper in Athena's ear, "you're all he talks about in his letters home, you know."

Athena found that tidbit interesting. Cedric mentioned her in his letters home? She felt her pulse accelerate while she wondered what he'd been saying about her all this time. Adelaide was kind enough to fill her in.

Apparently, it started very early in the term just after he was asked to escort her to Professor Snape at Hogsmeade Station. He found it exciting that an American witch had come to Hogwarts and that they were classmates. He mentioned their passionate conversation about their careers, which made Adelaide pause to praise her for her desire to pursue magical law causing Athena's cheeks to flush. Cedric mentioned her often, whether it was something funny she said or a story she told, she always made an appearance in his letters.

Athena took a moment to watch the man in question as he walked alongside his father. The same man who had apparently singing her praises in his letters. The man that would have to face a dragon today. Her chest tightened. Why was it doing that?

"So, Athena, what is your family like?" Mrs. Diggory asked politely.

The question caught Athena off guard. She stuttered and stammered for a moment, thinking of a way to answer the question without completely breaking down. It felt like she'd been punched in the gut.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright?" The older witch stopped walking, looking at Athena with concern lining her features. Cedric seemed to notice something was amiss and came to her side quickly. Her eyes burned, but no tears came.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Diggory –" "Adelaide."

"Adelaide," she corrected before taking in a shaky breath. "My family…the reason I am at Hogwarts…they –"

Athena was interrupted once more when the auburn-haired witch realized what Athena was trying to tell her. She took the younger girl in her arms, swaying gently back and forth and combing her fingers though Athena's hair. "You don't have to say anything else, dear."

Athena pulled back slightly from Adelaide's embrace insisting, "no, I want to it's just – I mean – no one has asked me about them…I miss them." Her revelation was met by a look of sorrow and understanding from Adelaide, while Cedric wasn't entirely sure what was happening.

Athena looked at him first, "I don't know if you know this or not, but the reason I am at Hogwarts this year – my family isn't – well, they died." It wasn't the most eloquent to articulate it, but it was the closest to the truth she could get. She couldn't read his face, too many reactions happening at once. Athena went back to Adelaide to answer her question.

She talked about her family openly and honestly from the way they looked to the things they liked. She told them about growing up in a muggle home as the only witch in the family, the way she and her sister used to fight then immediately forget about it, how supportive her baby brother had always been, and teaching them as much as she could about the magical world. It was cathartic talking about her family, and she felt lighter afterwards, even thanking the Diggorys for giving her the opportunity to share their memory.

The moment was ruined by Athena's stomach emitting a noise that sounded like a dying animal. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment, muttering an apology and something about missing breakfast. Cedric was the one that suggested they head back to the castle. It was nearly time for lunch. He let his parents walk a few meters ahead, leaving him to walk with Athena. He'd been quiet since she told him about her family, and she didn't like seeing him so down.

"I didn't tell you so you could feel bad for me," she murmured from beside him.

"You just seemed," he took a moment to think over the rest of his sentence, "so together, so strong – I can't even imagine how you must have felt keeping it to yourself all this time."

"Hey now, Mr. Champion," she said poking him hard in the bicep, "today isn't about me, it's about you!"

He feigned injury at her assault, rubbing the spot where she poked him. She gently grabbed his arm as they approached the doors to the Entrance Hall, stopping him to look at him very seriously. "I mean it, Ced, I'm glad you know about them. They would've loved you."

He ran a hand through his hair and gave her a crooked grin. "You think so?"

"Yup," she replied popping the 'p' explicitly. "My sister would definitely be giving you shit if you continue moping about it, though," she added with a laugh.

"Well then, we can't have that, now can we?"

"No," her voice trailed off as she noticed just how close she and Cedric were.

"Mum! Look who it is!" a voice cried, taking Athena's focus away from Cedric. She saw the tall thin frame of Bill Weasley standing next to his much shorter mother, pointing in her direction. Molly's gaze followed where her son was pointing and settled on Athena, and her whole face lit up with recognition.

"Why don't you go say hello? Let's meet up later, yeah?" Cedric suggested from beside her.

"Oh, yeah!" she said a little to exuberantly. Cedric beamed at her response and left to join his parents.

Athena caught up with the Weasleys and at Molly's request joined them for lunch at Gryffindor's table in the Great Hall. While she was grateful for finally getting an opportunity to eat, it was also an opportunity to check in on Harry, who was looking pale pushing around the food on his plate. She worried about him, despite knowing the outcome – well, sort of. She didn't know the exact details, but she knew he'd make it through the year alive.

"Harry," she called over to him. He looked up looking unimpressed, but his face contorted when he saw her.

"You've changed your hair."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, yes the hair. Whatever. I just wanted to tell you that, whatever happens out there today _I know_ something good _will come to you_ ," heavily emphasizing the words and tapping her temple with a finger, suggesting her knowledge of the future was still correct and that he'd make it through the task. He smiled gratefully, tapping his own temple in response. He knew what she meant: he was going to be okay.

 **A/N: And next time…the First Task**

 **A review is like a sock for Dobby, it doesn't seem like much to you, but it means the world to me :)**


	17. I See Fire

**A/N: I appreciate every time someone takes the time to read and review this story 3**

 **Also, the tag as "complete" is an error that seems to keep happening. I'm not doing it and the story from my end is marked "incomplete." Anyway, I've asked the tech-gods of this site to fix that glitch so this story stops showing up as "complete" when it is, very obviously, still in progress.**

 **As I've said before, reviews are great, but I will warn you I start my last year of law school this week so my posting schedule may get a little wonky...In any case, here's the First Task - enjoy**

Chapter 17: I See Fire

The Great Hall was still buzzing with excitement in anticipation of the First Task and there was only about half an hour before students would begin making their way to the Forbidden Forest, where an arena had been constructed especially for this event. Athena had been telling Bill all about her term thus far when she noticed that his attention would drift below her face every few seconds down to her chest. She looked down to see if she dropped any food or spilled anything on herself that might be cause for the distraction. She couldn't find anything…The shirt was cut lower than the school blouses she normally wore, revealing a tasteful amount of cleavage, in Athena's opinion. Nothing that should cause him to stare, though. Surely Bill didn't think of her like _that_ , did he?

Frustrated, she looked once more at herself. "Have I spilled something?" Once again, she found nothing.

Bill was instantly apologetic, face flushed at being caught staring. "No, no. I Was just admiring your necklace…I've never seen anything quite like it before, what is it?"

She felt the expression on her face melt into a frown but tried to catch herself before anyone noticed. Unlucky for her, Ginevra Weasley, was more perceptive than she let on. She must have picked up the talent for eavesdropping from the twins.

"Charlie sent it to her for her birthday," Ginny cut in, a sly smirk on her lips. "She wears it every day, isn't that right, Athena?"

To be honest, Athena forgot she had it on most days. It just felt like it was a part of her usual attire now, like socks or a bra. She looked down at the dragon scale hanging from her neck. From the light in the Great Hall it reflected warm tones of orange and yellow, glistening and sparkling in the light. Bill looked at his only sister, interested in the information she was willing to divulge.

"Is that right?" he asked in disbelief. "Our Charlie?"

Ginny nodded and shot a quick look at Athena, whose face screamed 'don't.' Ginny caught onto the look and waved it off saying that her brother had no use for jewelry anyway, why not give it to someone who would wear it? Athena still hadn't had a chance to tell Ginny, or anyone for that matter, about Saturday night. The only people who knew something were Harry and Hermione, but they didn't even have the full story. Bill didn't get the chance to question it further because Professor McGonagall was announcing that it was time to head down to the arena for the First Task.

The group shuffled through the crowds of students trying to exit the building. Athena felt a hand on her arm and saw a perplexed Ginny attached to her. The third year Gryffindor was much smarter than she got credit for. Athena mouthed the word 'later' just before they were split apart by the crowd of students exiting the castle. She couldn't find a single red head by the time she felt the chilly November air hit her face, even stepping aside from the crowd to get a better look. After ten minutes or so, the mass of students thinned out into clusters of two to five, but still no Weasleys. She would just have to find them in the stands.

Following the last of the Hogwarts students to leave the castle, Athena descended the steep hillside stairs which lead to Hagrid's Hut. Just beyond his home, a path had been carved out in the tree line, where everyone seemed to be heading. With every step she took, her anxiety increased, and she wished she had studied more about the Tournament in the future, but in her past. Not knowing what was going to happen today felt far worse than knowing would've been. At least she could be confident that Harry and Cedric were going to be alright. She continued descending the stone steps, willing herself to calm down before the event.

Without being positive about the outcome of the event, Athena really couldn't be sure that her friends would be okay. That thought alone was enough to be distressing. Of the few things she knew of the Triwizard Tournament from Professor Bartlett's History of Magic class, one was that during this Tournament someone would die. Athena didn't know who it would be or when, but she prayed to Merlin that it wouldn't be today as she navigated the path leading into the Forbidden Forest.

The path led to a clearing in the woods where a structure which reminded her of the stadium where the Quidditch World Cup Final took place, only this one was significantly smaller. The students she had been following were funneling into an entrance cut into the stadium's metallic outer walls about 50 yards to the left of where the path emptied into the clearing. To the right was a white canvas tent, much like ones that people use for outdoor events, but this one had its canvas side-panels unfurled, hiding the inside of the tent.

Athena would've followed the trail of students she had been trailing since leaving the castle, if it hadn't been for a bushy ponytail she saw running into the tent on her right. Hermione. Deciding to investigate what the know-it-all Gryffindor could be up to, Athena ventured over to the tent peering into an opening between two of the side panels. Athena instantly realized what this structure was when she saw the inside. A thin blonde witch in a sky-blue ensemble was chatting with a tall dark-haired wizard wearing a thick maroon sweater on one side, while on the other Hermione latched onto a clearly surprised Harry, engulfing him in a hug. This was the Champions' Tent, so where was Cedric?

She peeked into the tent further, leaning her head inside when she felt something grab her right arm, her wand arm. Panicking, she did the first thing that came to mind: letting her body relax into a dead weight and dragging her attacker down with her. It wasn't the smartest, nor most graceful response to an attack, but it had the advantage of taking the mystery person by surprise. She tried twisting away in the air, but only managed to turn her body so that she landed hard on her left hip, thudding to the ground with the weight of another, much larger, person on top of her.

"Motherfu-" she cursed in pain.

"What in Merlin's name was that for?" the familiar velvety tone of Cedric Diggory growled in aggravation.

Sure enough, Cedric was lying in a heap on top of her, pushing himself up onto his elbows. He was wearing a black and yellow checkered shirt with the Hogwarts crest sewn onto the jersey just above his heart. She didn't answer him right away; aware just how close they were for the second time that day.

' _Speak you idiot!'_ Despite her brain's desperate plea, no sound came out of her gaping mouth. He down at her with confusion and concern in his hypnotizing eyes. Then, two bright flashes caused the both of them to recoil in pain.

"My, my, my! This day just got far more interesting!" a high-pitched voice squeaked. A plainly dressed, balding wizard held a large antique-looking camera, but the more concerning individual was the woman to his right. She couldn't have been more than 5 feet tall, with white-blonde tightly wound ringlets in her short hair, and red cat-eye frames perched on the edge of her pale, pointed nose. A notepad and a peacock feather quill were bewitched to fly just behind her as she walked, taking notes.

Cedric seemed to notice that the woman's attention had been focused on Harry and Hermione briefly before settling where he and Athena still lay in a heap on the ground. He quickly stood up, extending a hand to Athena to help her back to her feet while the noisy woman strutted through the tent, talking about a juicy story for tomorrow's _Prophet_. That was the last thing Athena needed.

She narrowed her eyes at the annoying woman, prepared with several nasty statements to tell her leave them alone. Surprisingly, the barrel-chested Bulgarian, Viktor Krum, stepped forward and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Leave." His eyes were dark and dangerous as he looked upon the obnoxious reporter, nearly two heads shorter than him. "This tent is for Champions," he paused to make eye contact with Athena and Hermione, adding, "and friends. You are not welcome here."

The Bulgarian's warning didn't seem to faze the tiny blonde woman, who buzzed around the tent like an insect. That was a good way to describe her, an insect. Athena would pay several Galleons for a chance to swat her away. Sensing this, Cedric reached for Athena's hand to give it a squeeze. She looked at him, and he shook his head as if to say, 'she's not worth it.' As true as that might've been, Athena would've felt better if she at least had a chance.

Letting out a disappointed sigh, she relaxed the tension in her shoulders which earned her a small smile from Cedric. Krum was still trying to get the woman to leave and while he had her distracted, Cedric took the opportunity to ask Athena what she was doing there. Starting from the beginning, she explained she got separated from the Weasleys when they left the castle, saw Hermione sneak into the tent, and let her curiosity get the best of her.

"Not to mention, I never wished you luck earlier," she confessed as her anxiety suddenly returned. "So, um, good luck and please don't get hurt? I don't have many friends and it would be such a shame to lose one as handsome as you."

Why did she say that? Why did she say _that_? That of all things. _That_ was what her brain decided to be a good idea to say. She was afraid to look at him and focused her eyes on the Hogwarts crest emblazoned on his shirt, wishing she could step in the line of his dragon's fire rather than deal with the awkward situation she created for herself. For some reason, burning alive seemed like a better scenario than dealing with the man in front of her, right in front of her, getting closer?

She felt his arms wrap around her gently and the light pressure of his chin resting on the top of her head. She fumbled with her arms for a moment before returning the hug. She felt the overwhelming anxiety causing her chest to tighten ease gradually as she melted into the hug. He assured her that everything was going to be okay, including him, before releasing her partially and held her arms at a short distance. Cedric smiled as best he could, given the conditions, but became distracted when several people entered the tent.

"Go on and find a seat," we can talk more after the task," he said, letting go of her arms. She nodded silently and left the tent through the same opening Cedric dragged her through. On her way out, she looked back to see Cedric moving to the middle of the tent with the other Champions and noticed the curious twinkling eyes of Albus Dumbledore staring in her direction, a knowing grin, barely visible under his long white beard. She'd been caught.

She rushed away from the Champions tent, finding the entrance to the stadium for spectators. From there it wasn't too difficult to locate the Weasleys, their red hair shining like a beacon to Athena. She managed to squeeze her way over to where they were sitting, settling in next to Bill, ignoring the youngest who she knew was still dying to interrogate her for her earlier behavior. Just as she sat down a large whistle sounded. The First Task of the Triwizard Tournament was about to begin.

* * *

It was hard to watch the whole thing, but she managed to sit through it. Bill was kind enough to lend her his hand act as a stress ball, though he instantly regretted it. Cedric went first against a Swedish Short-Snout, a dragon with silvery blue scales and a squished face like a pug. It blew brilliant light blue flames that she could feel from her seat high above the stage of the arena. Cedric transfigured a boulder into a Labrador which distracted the dragon long enough for the Hufflepuff to retrieve a golden egg from the nest the dragon had been guarding faithfully.

The distraction didn't last for long and the dragon was enraged to find the wizard making off with one of her eggs, or so she thought while blasting a hot stream of flames towards the retreating Champion. Cedric was caught in the flames but managed to get out of the arena without further injury. She had been squeezing Bill's fingers so hard the tips of them turned purple. She apologized to the eldest Weasley child who played off his pain like it was a minor injury, in true Gryffindor fashion.

While the course was being prepared for the next Champion, Athena heard one of the twins call over to them, "Oi! Did you know Charlie was here?"

Athena's eyes were instantly drawn to a red headed dragon-keeper who helped lead a mossy-green colored dragon into the arena, luring her by throwing large chunks of raw meat into the air for her to catch in her mouth. The dragon's unusual color reminded her of Charlie's eyes, she remembered how they darkened when he was screaming in her face, and at the thought of him her hand unconsciously went to the scale she wore around her neck.

Bill noticed Athena's mood change and waited for the judges to announce that the Beauxbatons Champion, Fleur Delacour, would face the Common Welsh Green before leaning over to whisper in her ear, "want to talk about it?"

Her eyes remained glued the dragon-keeper, but she shook her head. These Weasleys were far more perceptive than they appeared, first it was Ginny and now she had Bill wondering about her odd reaction to their brother. She made a mental note to work on masking her expressions instead of projecting them so openly, before the dragon-keepers left the arena and Fleur began the task.

The beautiful blonde champion was the smartest, simply putting the dragon to sleep so she could walk up to the nest and retrieve her egg. The dragon snored, occasionally expelling flames from her open mouth. One such snore ignited Fleur's skirt, costing her points from the judges who observed from a private box in the stadium.

Krum's performance, following Fleur, was by far the least graceful and poorest execution. The Bulgarian quidditch star cast a conjunctivitis curse, blinding the dragon and sending it into fits of pain and rage. Athena had never seen the curse be used on anything, but humans and she could see why. The curse took over the entirety of the dragon's face, not only her eyes, covering her scales in an enflamed, scar-like tissue that no doubt burned from the way the winged creature thrashed about. The dragon's wild thrashing caused some of the real eggs to be damaged, but Krum's headmaster, Karkaroff still saw fit to award him full points.

Finally, it was Harry's turn and the anxiety that had subsided since Cedric faced his dragon returned, but this time it felt twenty times worse. Not only was Harry the youngest, he was also about to face the most aggressive dragon the crowd had seen that day.

"That's a Hungarian bloody Horntail!" Ron shouted from further down the bench where Athena sat with the Weasleys. By his paled expression and the panicked way he looked from the massive dragon to harry who had just stepped forward from the Champion's tent, he understood just how dangerous this situation had become.

Molly was quick to berate her son for his language, while Athena thought it was about time the fourth year started putting the events of the last month into perspective. Hopefully, he and Harry could resolve their silly fight after the task was over. The end couldn't come soon enough for Athena, because the longer Harry stayed in that arena, the worse she felt. He just dodged a flame the Horntail spat in his direction by diving behind a boulder.

"YOUR WAND HARRY!" a frantic Hermione shouted nearby. When had she arrived? It didn't matter, because Harry seemed to hear the instruction and point his wand skyward.

"Please work, please work, please work," she muttered under her breath, clenching her eyes tightly. Less than a minute later, Bill nudged her shoulder.

When she opened her eyes, a blur whizzed overhead rushing towards Harry whose hiding place was being assaulted by dragon fire. He jumped onto the broom, zooming away from the path of the flames and the entire stadium cheered for the fourteen-year-old. IT WORKED! He'd mastered the summoning charm in time. Athena took a moment to lock eyes with Hermione, who had already looking to the older Gryffindor.

They shared a smile before they focused on their friend whose flying skills were incredible to watch. Though they'd played a few games of quidditch before the start of term in the Weasley's back yard, Athena hadn't seen the full extent of Harry's talent. It was mesmerizing, like watching an artist at work. He weaved around the sharp spikes of the dragon's spiked tail and swooped down to retrieve his golden egg. More cheers erupted from the crowd as Harry tucked the golden egg under his arm and flew directly into the Champions' tent narrowly missing more flames.

The final scores were announced before the stadium was dismissed: Krum and Harry each received 40 points, Cedric received 38, and Fleur was given 36. Athena didn't know how that was fair, considering Fleur's strategy had been the most humane and the smartest, but it didn't have the flash and excitement of Harry's flying nor the willingness to cheat from her headmistress. Fleur deserved more credit than she got, but there wasn't much Athena could do about that. She thought about her friends and the other two Champions, glad they all made it through their first task. She let out a breath that she couldn't remember holding and felt instantly relieved. They were okay, they were all okay, and that was enough for her...at least, for now.

* * *

Everyone seemed to be celebrating as they were leaving the stadium to head back to the castle, where numerous after parties were bound to take place that evening. Instead of following the current, Athena broke away from the crowd and made her way to the Champions' tent to congratulate Harry and Cedric. When she arrived, she snuck in through the same side panel she entered before the task. Krum was excitedly talking to Harry about his flying and discussing the aerodynamics of the Firebolt Harry held firmly in his left hand.

To her left, she could see that the makeshift first aid area was in use, and slung over the hospital privacy barrier was a black and yellow checkered shirt: Cedric. Athena peeked her head around the edge to make sure Madame Pomfrey wasn't busy attending to the Hufflepuff and met the burned boy's eyes with a smile. He was okay, excluding the dark orange paste covering half his face, down his neck and over his shoulder.

Athena was suddenly aware that Cedric was shirtless, and shamelessly let her eyes wander over his body. The years of quidditch had been extremely good to him, sculpting his tall lean form into a sculpture-like physique. Her cheeks burned when she saw that Cedric was aware of her staring.

"Oi, eyes up here missy," he teased. "I'm not just a piece of meat for you to ogle."

Both of them burst into fits of giggles, consumed with laughter over the situation. How had Athena's anxiety been so easily replaced with lighthearted laughter? She managed to calm herself down enough to say a few words.

"You had me worried for a moment out there." Athena gestured with her head to the arena just beyond the tent. Cedric averted his eyes and dropped his head with a nervous chuckle, running his hand through his disheveled auburn locks. He paused for a moment, unsure how he should reply.

Sensing this, Athena continued, "I just popped in to see if you were okay…" he raised his eyes to meet hers, "well, I should go now and check on Harry, I'll see you later, Ced!"

She left quickly, not knowing if she had said too much or not enough to the boy in the hospital bed. Her mind tended to believe it was the former, and that he felt uncomfortable by the whole interaction. Even at Ilvermorny, Athena's best tactic in awkward situations was to hide for a while until everything calmed down. It wasn't very Gryffindor-like, but then again, neither was she – at least, not completely.

In the main are of the tent, Athena saw that the Weasleys and Hermione were showering Harry with hugs and congratulations. The bespectacled teen caught Athena as she left the first aid area, raising an eyebrow with interest. Hermione followed her best friend's gaze to Athena and she mirrored his questioning look.

"Athena," Harry called over to her, "how kind of you to come see me!" She didn't appreciate the amusement in his voice, nor the snarky smile he watched her with. Of course, his statement caused the rest of the Weasleys to look in her direction. She narrowed her eyes at him for a millisecond before plastering a huge grin on her face, joining the group of Gryffindors to celebrate. Not long after, they were joined by Charlie, who was immediately hugged by his mother and a sheepish looking Ron, looking at Harry nervously.

Figuring that Ron had come here to apologize, Athena thought it best to give him and Harry a little privacy. Placing herself between the twins, she reached up to throw an arm around each of their shoulders, announcing, "this is going to be awkward enough without all you lot watching, let's go celebrate!"

She looked at each of the twins with a devious smile. "Any chance you boys know where we can get something a bit stronger than pumpkin juice?" They looked at each other with mirrored grins and mischief dancing in their eyes.

"For you, beautiful?" George asked, waggling his eyebrows, then Fred added, "anything," before both ducked out from under her arms excitedly wandering off to gather the illicit beverages.

She smiled to herself. Those boys had a happy talent for mischief, and she hoped they could market it because it was clearly their calling. At this point, it was time to head back to Gryffindor. Not only would Amelia be looking for her, but she had to remove herself from an awkward situation just waiting to happen. A disillusionment charm probably wouldn't have helped at that point, because she hadn't even taken two steps towards the exit of the tent before Molly was calling her over.

She looked over to where Molly was, waving her over excitedly next to her two eldest sons. Athena's luck had always been crap, why should it be any different now? Making sure the fake smile was still plastered on her face she made her way over to the Weasley matriarch. The older woman swept her up into a motherly embrace, patting her hair.

"I just wanted to say goodbye, darling, and wish you luck on the rest of term. You're always welcome with us, you know," she said softly while rocking her back and forth.

Molly Weasley was too kind. "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Oh nonsense!" the matriarch corrected her, "Molly, dear."

Athena smiled, for real this time. "Right. Thank you, Molly."

She received a hug from Bill as well and the two of them departed, leaving Charlie and Athena standing by the tent's exit. She couldn't look him in the eyes, she didn't want to, not after the way they'd left things. She stared at a loose fiber hanging from the fabric of the tent, wishing he would just walk away.

He cleared his throat and she made the mistake of looking up and in Charlie's mossy green eyes she could see sadness and regret. The look on his face said more than words ever could, _I pity you_. She didn't want his pity. As a matter of fact, she didn't want anything to do with the man in front of her. She stared at him for a moment, channeling her anger into the look before storming out of the tent into the cold November air.

It was getting late, the sun no longer visible above the trees, but the dull glow of twilight would be enough to make it back to the castle on the path through the Forbidden Forest. She pulled her wand out of the pocket of her jeans and hugged her cardigan closer to her. It was much colder than it had been when the sun was out, and she wasn't a fan of the cold. Heading into the tree line she could hear the distinct sound of feet thumping against the ground.

He was following her. "Athena, please wait!" Bingo! She should've played the muggle lottery; her guessing was on point.

Ignoring Charlie, she kept walking down the path and wordlessly lit her wand as the sky seemed to get darker more rapidly. Eventually he caught up to her and wrapped his hand around her left bicep, pulling on her upper arm and causing her to turn to face him.

"What do you want, Charlie?" she hissed. "To yell at me some more? Or is it to call me crazy? Dumbledore told me what you wrote him."

At least he had the decency to look ashamed, his shoulders dropped, and he looked as though he'd been slapped, but didn't loosen his grip on Athena's arm. "I-I'm sorry."

She tried wrenching her arm out of his grasp. _Sorry?! Sorry doesn't change anything._ She glared at him, and if it could, steam would've been pouring out of her ears like an overheated engine.

"Sorry for what? For embarrassing me? For judging me? For telling you the truth?!" She felt her voice crack, and Charlie had heard it too. She was determined not to let her eyes give her away. This didn't deserve tears, _he_ didn't deserve her tears. Her eyes betrayed her anyway. One hot tear dropped from her eye and left a salty trail down her cheek. Charlie's eyes followed its path and though he said nothing, she felt the grip on her arm loosen slightly.

"I thought you believed me," she confessed, still hurt by what he thought of her. "I told you things I've never told anyone. About me, about my family, the future…" her voice trailed off, the disappointment evident in her tone.

"I believe you. I'm sorry, for everything Athena…" Charlie whispered, letting go of her arm. She didn't make a move to walk away, wanting to hear what her had to say. "I had no right to act the way I did, fire whiskey or none…and, I'm sorry for the way I behaved. By the time I was able to process everything with a clear mind, you were gone."

He sounded sad, defeated. "You found the time to contact Dumbledore, but not me to apologize?" she accused him.

"I didn't know what to say, or if you'd even listen to me. It's been my experience that when a girl leaves without saying goodbye, it's just best to give her space."

Athena's eyes narrowed at him, how often did he piss off women to learn that tidbit? The red head threw his hands up defensively, understanding what that look meant, claiming, "Ginny." She wasn't sure whether to believe him, or whether to forgive him for that matter. Yet she couldn't help the way her chest tightened seeing the obvious despair on his handsome face.

Looking closely, she could see the scruff or a man who hadn't shaved in a few days. It suited him, adding to his rogue-ish and wild appearance. She didn't _want_ to stay mad at him, and the longer she watched him, the more she realized it. If she forgave him for acting like a jerk, he needed to make up for it. Reaching her free hand up, she toyed with the dragon scale necklace he'd given her for her birthday, as she did when she was deep in thought.

"So, you're growing a beard now?" she ventured away from their current conversation, having already made up her mind. She'd forgive him. She couldn't blame him, per se, and it would be hard to see him so distraught for much longer.

He looked puzzled by the question, but his eyes lit up, focusing on the area just above her heard where her hand was holding onto the rainbow scale, glimmering dimly from the light of her wand. "You're wearing it," he smiled softly at her, guessing that he'd been forgiven.

She shrugged. "I hardly ever take it off." His smile grew, and she felt her own mirroring his. The sound of voices and several dim lights grew closer and closer to the chatting pair, and soon enough Harry, Hermione, _and_ Ron reached them laughing and catching up.

From the way Ron looked at Athena, sad and slightly terrified, she guesses that the other two fourth years had filled him in on her secret, now that they had all made up. She rolled her eyes and spoke directly to Charlie, "they know about me."

His eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't waste any time looking to the golden trio. "Charlie also knows but listen to me: no one else can know. Not now anyway." Each of them nodded to her, while she heard Charlie mutter something that she couldn't quite make out.

"Pinky swear," he repeated holding his hand up to hers, pinky extended to her. She couldn't believe he remembered the muggle tradition she taught him the first time they met. She felt warmer and lighter than before and lifted her hand to his wrapping her pinky around his own. A promise.


	18. All The Small Things

Chapter 18: All The Small Things

During the weeks following the First Task, things seemed to be returning to the way they were before the Champion Selection. The Golden Trio was back together, Charlie was writing Athena letters again, and she and Cedric were still tip-toeing around each other. She was especially of the negative attention she'd been receiving from his fan club. Skeeter was back at it again, using the photos she took before the task to slander her once again, but this time Hermione was caught in the crossfire.

She also noticed that she had been falling into episodes of deep depression frequently and more intensely than she ever had before. Her mind was often consumed by the concept of time. Time was contemptuous and cruel. Time never waited for anyone or anything, always seeming endless through moments of boredom and passing by too quickly during moments of happiness. Time wasn't fair, it had cursed her. The curse of knowledge weighed her down more and more every day.

People would die, people that she had come to know and care about. She didn't know who, nor when but it would happen. A war was coming and she couldn't stop it, no matter what her dreams tried telling her. She could feel it in her bones. It was only a matter of time.

When her mind betrayed her with these debilitating realities, she would take long walks around the castles many halls. It was far easier than freezing her ass off in the December air or explaining to her obnoxiously bright and bubbly roommate how she felt. Amelia meant well but didn't understand how someone could just feel miserable and helpless out of nowhere, and if Athena heard, "but you don't look depressed," she couldn't promise that she wouldn't hex her friend. She explained multiple times that depression doesn't look the same in every person, and just because she had good days didn't mean nothing was wrong.

On top of all of this, Professor McGonagall recently announced the Yule Ball, which would take place on Christmas Day. The Yule Ball was a Triwizard tradition, according to her Head of House, used as an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the Champions and promote inter-school unity. Athena was skeptical about the whole thing and believed that it was just an excuse to have a party. Students in their fourth year and above were invited, but Athena heard that Ginny Weasley had been invited by an older student, despite only being a third year.

Athena found herself roaming the halls of the second floor, avoiding Amelia as long as she could for that morning. Her friend and roommate managed to convince her to go dress shopping in Hogsmeade that day to purchase a dress for the ball. Athena had already made up her mind that she wasn't going to go, but trying to explain that to Amelia was nearly impossible. She couldn't afford a dress, and the thought of spending an entire evening in a dress and uncomfortable shoes didn't exactly make her want to attend. Nevertheless, she would indulge her friend for the day and she hoped that would be enough to get Amelia off her case.

She rounded a corner by the portrait of a young girl holding an orange, who giggled loudly, as if hearing a funny joke. She laughed and laughed, locking eyes with Athena briefly before looking above where the Gryffindor stood, pulling on the sleeves of her leather jacket nervously. Athena didn't have to ask what the portrait was laughing at, because the girl twirled her finger, instructing Athena to turn around.

Following the order, Athena saw a group of four similarly dressed men walking, more like marching, towards her. They were from Durmstrang, she noticed even on the weekends the Bulgarians still dressed in uniform, even if it was different to the ones they wore for classes. It wasn't uncommon to see groups of the Durstrang boys huddled together in the halls, but it was odd that they seemed to advance quite aggressively in her direction.

They slowed down considerably when they got closer, and bowed their heads as they came to a stop directly in front of her. One in the front, a barrel-chested blonde with dark, deep set eyes took a step forward in her direction. Perhaps they were lost, and came to her looking for directions?

"I am being Andrei, meess Athe-ena," he introduced himself in a voice that was far deeper than she was expecting. His thick accent made his pronunciation of her name sound a little silly, but more importantly, he knew her name? She didn't recall ever seeing, let alone speaking, to this man before.

"You know me?"

He smiled, revealing a set of crooked, yellowing teeth. "Ve are all been knowing you. Slytherin house talk about you very much."

She expected as much from the Slytherins ever since her episode with Carlyle. That still didn't explain why Andrei and his entourage approached her in the hallway. She was about to ask him if they needed help finding the Great Hall or how to get to the library, when she figured it out. She'd only just been thinking about the damn thing, she should've just kept her head down and kept walking.

"I am vanting to go to the Yule Ball with you," Andrei said bluntly. "Ve have many brothers vanting to ask you. Andrei is the first, no?"

The words were spinning like a cyclone in her brain. Many people wanted to ask her? Ha! Fat chance of that. He was probably just trying to flatter her. In any case she already decided she wasn't going, so it didn't even matter if they _did_ ask. She wasn't going and that was final. She thought about what to say to Andrei, who was patiently waiting for her response. If he was anything like Amelia, telling him she wasn't going might not be enough – he'd potentially try convincing her to go. Not wanting that to even be a possibility, she decided to take a different route.

"Andrei, thank you for the kind invitation, but someone has already asked me," she lied easily. "I'm sorry, but I've already accepted."

Athena watched as his shoulders drooped and the smile melted from his face in defeat. He quickly composed himself, shaking off the rejection and bowed once more to her. That was easier than she had anticipated it to be, and watched as his friends clapped him on the back to console their friend's wounded ego. It was awkward to watch and Athena made sure to sneak away as quickly as she could to meet up with Amelia, hoping to avoid any more of these encounters.

* * *

By noon Amelia had already forced Athena to try on thirty-seven different dresses ranging from wizarding traditional with full length skirts, long sleeves and high necklines to more modern muggle-inspired dresses of all lengths and cuts. As much as Amelia was enjoying herself, Athena was exhausted by the whole charade and felt the need to remind her friend that she still did not want to go every fifteen minutes or so.

"Let's make a deal," Amelia suggested whilst handing Athena several more dresses in a variety of colors and textures.

"Anything to cease this torture," Athena replied dramatically, closing the curtain of the dressing room. She looked at the most recent batch of dresses, casting an automatic veto at anything that remotely resembled a ballgown. With her body shape and height, she would end up looking like a cupcake. Even if she wasn't going to actually buy a dress, she still refused to humiliate herself like that.

"If you don't find anything you like, I'll stop bugging you about going to the ball," so far so good on that front, because everything she tried on to appease Amelia thus far had been awful, "but if you find one you like, you'll go."

 _Too easy_ , Athena thought, pulling a Grecian style purple dress over her head. Even if she found something she liked, she didn't have the money to buy a dress anyway. Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall had told her that she could receive an allowance to subsidize the cost of a dress, but Athena was adamant she wouldn't accept their money. She still had a fair amount saved from a withdrawal she made before coming to England in August, but she would need it when school was over.

She couldn't justify using the funds she would need to survive on her own on a dress she would likely wear once and forget about. She made a mental note to add that detail to her list of why the Yule Ball was stupid, and brushed the curtain back to show Amelia the outfit. Amelia scrunched up her nose like a dung bomb had just gone off in the boutique and shook her head furiously. Inwardly, Athena was celebrating because with only a few more dresses to try on, she was certain she'd benefit from the bargain her friend proposed.

Athena extended her hand for Amelia to shake. "I'm in."

Amelia shook Athena's hand excitedly and hurried the shorter brunette back into the stall to try on more dresses. After another hour or so, both Gryffindors were getting restless. Athena wanted to leave the store and see the rest of the wizarding village, considering she had missed out on the last outing, and Amelia just wanted to find something that would convince Athena to go to the Yule Ball.

In the cubicle, Athena was shedding a hideous green gown that had a trumpet skirt. Amelia was unimpressed when Athena claimed she looked like a fat mermaid and urged her to be more open-minded. She was incredibly close to success and there were only a few more dresses she agreed to try on. Athena picked up the next one, it was made of a soft black fabric, unlike the colorful garments Amelia insisted on her trying for most of the day.

She slipped the dress over her head, enjoying the feeling of the smooth fabric as it slid down her body and watching as the hem fell just above the ground. The dress felt different from anything else she had tried on that day. Not only was it comfortable, it was neither ostentatious in color nor design, except for a small stripe of golden sparkles beginning just under her left arm and ending around her mid-thigh where the black fabric separated into a high-slit. It was sleeveless and the back was low enough to leave the phoenix tattoo on her right shoulder blade unobstructed.

"Athena, are you alright in there?" Amelia's voice rang out. Apparently, she had been too quiet for too long.

Athena pulled back the curtain revealing herself to a gaping Amelia. Athena knew it too, this dress was perfect for her, and she hated to admit that she actually liked it. Based on the way her roommate was almost bouncing with joy, Athena could tell that she approved of the dress. Unfortunately, Athena had to sour her friend's good mood with an old-fashioned reality check.

"Meels, I can't afford it." She could almost predict what Amelia would say next, but wouldn't let her say anything. She was going back on their deal, but she honestly didn't think she'd find something that she would like. Amelia most likely wouldn't find that excuse entirely persuasive and would offer to help pay for it, but Athena had one last weapon in her arsenal to stop the argument before it even happened. It was low, cruel even, but Athena did it anyway.

"With my parents gone..." her voice trailed off, guilt stabbing her like a dull blade. Using her "dead parents" excuse was the lowest Athena had ever gone to get her way, and though she felt guilty for doing it she couldn't ignore the fact that it worked. Amelia quickly dropped the subject, despair replacing the joy on her face. She didn't bother Athena anymore about the dress and they left it behind in Gladrags, setting off to enjoy the rest of their day in Hogsmeade. It was only a dress, it didn't mean anything, neither did the Yule Ball.

* * *

Athena was asked to the Yule Ball several more times during the week before the event, and each time she would use the same excuse, that someone had already asked her. She enjoyed the ego boost she got from being asked so many times, but she wouldn't change her mind about her boycott of the Yule Ball. While many of the upper-class female students spent their free time during the week preceding the event discussing hairstyles and accessories, Athena opted to join Hermione in the library to catch up on assignments she'd been neglecting. This was one of the things Athena liked about Hermione, when she wanted to go to the library with the younger girl there were no questions asked other than, "what time?" It was nice to have a friend like that, not needing to fill every walking second with gossip or meaningless chatter.

In that week she had finished two essays for Transfiguration, a theoretical spell-creating proposal for Charms, completed 300 pages of reading for History of Magic, and translated several passages for Ancient Runes. The only professor not to assign something over the holidays was Moody, and this was probably the first and only time Athena liked him. The N.E.W.T.-level classes were killing her slowly, and she appreciated any break she could get. She was quick to complain about the workload, but she wouldn't change it at all.

It distracted her from her oppressive thoughts and she enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment every time she finished an assignment. Without any more work to do, she sat at the table she and Hermione had occupied most of that week with a fountain pen in hand, staring at a blank piece of paper in front of her. She needed to find something to keep her busy, but struggled to figure out just what that might be. Her eyes casually drifted around the library, until she noticed something rather odd.

Not very far away, peeking over the top of a book was Viktor Krum, international quidditch star and Triwizard Champion. From what she had heard about the man, he wasn't exactly known for his academic prowess so his presence in the Hogwarts library was unusual indeed. She also happened to notice the group of fangirls that usually trailed his every move were nowhere in sight. He probably used the library as a safe place to hide from them.

She wouldn't have questioned it further, but she noticed the way he kept looking over the top of the book at her – no, not her – Hermione. She looked at her friend in surprise only to find that she was totally oblivious to what was happening. Athena bunched up the paper in front of her and tossed it right at Hermione's face, hitting her on the nose. Appalled by the assault on her face, Hermione glared at Athena, angry that she was disturbed from whatever it was she happened to be reading.

Athena pointed over her shoulder in Krum's general direction, and raised a brow with curiosity. Hermione quickly scanned the area Athena had been pointing at and turned bright red when she understood what Athena had been referring to. The fourteen-year-old shoved her face back into the book she was reading, letting her hair fall around her face to shield it like a curtain.

"What's that all about?" Athena whispered. She kept her voice low enough so Madam Pince wouldn't wander over to shush them, but loud enough for Hermione to hear her. Her friend didn't bother looking up from the book she stared into, but mumbled something that sounded like, "nothing."

That response alone meant that it was clearly more than nothing. Athena looked back to where the Bulgarian seeker was and caught his attention by waving him over. He closed the book he'd been pretending to read and stood from the desk. Athena decided to pack up her own belongings and make herself scarce. It was clear that Krum wanted to talk to Hermione, maybe even ask her to the ball, and Athena didn't want to get in the way of that. Even if that wasn't the case, Athena needed to find something productive to do now that she finished her homework.

"You can thank me later," she hummed, throwing her bag over her shoulder and walking away. She didn't bother to stick around to see the younger Gryffindor's reaction, but she bet Hermione was scowling at her retreating form. She gave Krum a nod as they passed each other between the stacks. She turned right into the main aisle of the library, strolling towards the exit.

She had the displeasure of coming across a group of Cedric's fan club almost immediately after exiting. They'd been particularly annoying following the First Task and the publishing of the photo of her and Cedric in the _Daily Prophet_. She'd never met any of them, but recognized the Ravenclaw who insulted her in the Great Hall just after Rita Skeeter's first article had gone out. Her name was Cho Chang, and for some unknown reason Harry was obsessed with her.

She was thin, fairly pretty, and from what Harry said, she was a fair quidditch player as well. Ron was delightfully more honest, claiming she was better than a garden gnome, but only marginally. Athena loved sassy-Ron, and despite their conflicts earlier in the term, she found him rather pleasant to be around, especially when he was insulting someone. It must have been a Weasley family trait, because the whole family had a happy talent for sarcasm.

As she was passing by the cluster of girls she overheard Chang discussing her Yule Ball date, it was hard not to with the way she'd been yelling it. She wanted to make sure Athena heard the proclamation, "just this morning Cedric Diggory finally accepted my invitation to the Ball. He's finally realized the _American slag_ isn't worth his time."

Athena kept walking, ignoring the petty girl's cry for attention. So what if she would be going to the ball with Cedric? Athena didn't care about that, she just felt bad Cedric would have to be around her all night – yikes.

"Did you _hear_ me, slag?"

Athena kept walking, not bothering to acknowledge the girl and feed into the bait. She would be far more annoyed by Athena's lack of reaction, than if she started a fight anyway. _How very Slytherin of you, Athena_ , she smirked and marched on.

"Flipendo!"

Athena felt a force shove her to the ground hard. That bitch had attacked her while her back was turned! Unacceptable. Athena pushed herself of the ground and dropped her bag by her feet. She removed her wand from the pocket of her pants and cast a wordless disarming charm over her shoulder. If she was going to fight, she may as well put on a show – at least that would teach the rest of Cedric's fan club to leave her the hell alone.

Athena spun on the ball of her foot and caught Cho's wand as it whizzed toward her. The Ravenclaw didn't move and stared at Athena in disbelief. It was clear the girl had never been faced with wordless magic yet, and that knowledge only fueled the adrenaline high which took over her whole being.

"Levicorpus," Athena said calmly, watching as the Ravenclaw was suddenly suspended in mid-air, the rest of her group gasping and attempting to get her down.

"Now, I'm going to make a few things clear to you-" "LET ME DOWN YOU STUPID WHORE!"

Athena, feeling extra dramatic, shook her head and tutted at the hysterical girl. "You know, Cho, it isn't very polite to interrupt." Athena angled her wand, lifting the girl higher.

Athena waited for the girl to pay attention, with fear clearly dominating her face, before addressing her in a dangerously serious tone. "This is the only time I will explain this, so listen carefully: I could care less who you go to the ball with or what you think of me, but if you _ever_ attack me, or anyone, when their back is turned ever again, I won't be as nice as I am today. You are petty and a coward. As a matter of fact, you should go to the forest and apologize to the trees for the oxygen you've wasted."

Athena lowered her slowly, and when Cho was about a foot of the ground let her fall hard against the stone floor of the corridor. Athena then dropped Cho's wand to the ground, picked up her bag, and continued walking down the hallway as she was before being jinxed. She felt the rush of victory sweep through her as she left the group of girls in stunned silence.

The feeling wasn't destined to last very long, because she found none other than Professor Moody waiting just around the corner at the end of the corridor. He leaned heavily on his gnarled walking stick and tapped the side of his head where his magical eye whirled around wildly. He'd seen what just occurred a few moments ago, but surely that meant he'd seen her be attacked while her back was turned!

She was going to explain herself when the grizzled professor burst into laughter, a wheezy barking sound that was slightly terrifying. She had no idea how to react, chuckling awkwardly.

"I'm not taking points, because that was bloody brilliant, Mayall – apologize to the trees!" His laugh turned into a choking cough, and he reached for the flask affixed to his belt, taking a large swig of whatever was inside.

He quickly recovered and a stern frown sobered his previously amused expression. "Now get out of here before someone like Snape comes by to give you detention."

He made a shooing motion with his free hand, letting her go. That. Was. Bizarre. What kind of professor acts that way? She dismissed the thought, reminding herself if it had been anyone else she would've lost house points and received detention. What she couldn't shake from her mind was the crazed look of joy Moody had when he admitted to having seen the whole thing. He basically confessed that he didn't intervene because he _enjoyed_ it. He still creeped her out, and his behavior did nothing to dissuade the feeling.

* * *

Christmas Eve arrived quickly, and Hogwarts looked like a scene from a postcard. Every inch of the castle was decorated with tinsel, bows, holly, and pine, while snow softly fell from the sky. It looked the part, but none of it felt right. Everything looked exactly the way Athena imagined it would, but something was still missing. She didn't want to talk about it, because who would understand? Maybe Harry, but he'd never even known his parents.

She was awful to compare her despair to his. His parents were murdered, while hers were just...lost. As much as she tried not to grieve for her lost family, some days the pain just became too much to bear. She blamed herself, and often. But for her stupidity, she would be home, in 2018, with her family. Harry wasn't stupid though, a sociopath murdered his parents, he had no choice in any of it. She left her family willingly, didn't even bother to say goodbye because she assumed she would see them in just a few days. No, not even Harry would understand.

She spent most of the morning wandering the empty halls, it was still too early for many people to be awake. In the sixth-floor corridor, she came across an incredibly small blonde boy sleeping up against the podium of a bronze statue of an eagle. Weirder things happened at Hogwarts, but something in her stomach urged her to find out what was happening. The small boy's eyes were puffy, he'd been crying. She walked over to him, squatting down to shake his shoulder lightly in an effort to rouse him.

Soon enough, his eyes were fluttering open, bloodshot and frightened, his hazel-green eyes settled on her. "How did you get here?" It almost sounded like he was accusing her of something.

"Well, you were asleep in the hallway, kid," she returned, a little miffed at this likely first year's initial reaction.

He looked around, unsure of whether to believe Athena, trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings. He looked down at the floor, ashamed that he hadn't been able to prove that she was lying to him. In a small voice, cracking with emotion, he confessed, "I couldn't get in. No one would let me in."

He explained that Ravenclaw didn't use a password to access their common room, and instead they had to solve a riddle to gain access to their dorm. He couldn't solve the riddle that was given, and no one had left or come by to help him.

"I'll help you, little birdie," Athena teased the first year. He didn't seem impressed with the pet name, scrunching up his nose as if he'd smelled something rotten. "I'm a very good guesser, but you're the smart one, little bird, so you'll have to answer it."

He thought over the offer for a moment and accepted the help with a subtle nod. Satisfied, Athena looked at the eagle, stoic and metal, in front of her, "let's hear it then."

The bird suddenly animated, raising its beak in Athena's direction and in a clear feminine voice recited, "When you need me, you throw me away, but when you're done with me, you bring me back. What am I?"

Athena could see why the eleven-year-old had difficulty, this one was tough. She paced back and forth in the hall, repeating the riddle out loud, dissecting it piece by piece in her head when she was interrupted, "I've already guessed a yo-yo, a tissue, and a memory, but none of those were right."

She raised an eyebrow in appreciation of his last guess: a memory. That was very clever, but still incorrect. Just before she turned to continue pacing her eyes were drawn to the large window set between the large stones of the castle walls. It was an incredible view of the Black Lake. _Now isn't the time for ADD, Athena_ , she thought, berating herself for her short attention span.

She did a double-take and walked over to the window for a better view of the unusually placid lake below. The only disturbance of its waters came from the Durmstrang ship anchored just off-shore. That was it! The answer was literally right in front of her. She called the boy over to the window and directed him to look out and tell her what he saw.

"The lake."

"Yes, and?" she prompted excitedly.

"The Forest?" She sighed, frustrated and tried focusing him back on the lake.

"Go back to the lake, what else is there?"

"Oh, the boat."

"Ship," she corrected him. "And what is the ship doing?"

"Floating," he replied confidently. If this is how this was going to go, she'd be here all day.

"How is the ship floating?" Athena tried spoon-feeding this answer to him, but was let down by his smart-ass answer of "surface tension."

"Okay, little bird, you got me there." She thought hard about the next clue she was going to give him. "What keeps it from floating away?"

"An anchor," he replied, eyeing the Gryffindor like she was an idiot, but the expression on his face turned into one of shock once he saw that the bricks beside the bronze eagle were parting to reveal Ravenclaw's common room.

"That was the answer!" he squealed, scampering off into his common room. She smiled, feeling better that she helped him figure it out. A chill swept over her, causing goosebumps to rise on her arms and the back of her neck. The castle was drafty, that was for sure. Holding her arms tightly around her torso, she decided to head back to her own common room where she might warm up. When she turned away from the eagle statue that guarded the Ravenclaw dormitory, she was surprised to find that she wasn't alone.

Leaning up against the wall, with his hair dripping wet and a golden egg under his arm was Cedric. He had a silly grin on his face and watched her with his mesmerizing caramel-colored eyes. Because classes were suspended for the holidays, she hadn't seen him since the day McGonagall announced the Yule Ball, not that she'd been looking for him, especially since her run-in with Cho.

Instead of saying hello or asking Cedric what brought him so far away from Hufflepuff's dormitory like a normal person would, Athena blurted, "you're wet."

He chuckled, eyes twinkling with mirth but unwavering. "That was very kind of you," he nodded at the section of stones behind her, she now knew to be the entrance to Ravenclaw's common room. How long had he been there?

"You followed me." It wasn't a question.

His cheeks burned and he ran a hand through his wet locks nervously. He cleared his throat to compose himself. "Well, you've been avoiding me... and I just wanted to know...why?" His eyes met her own with a kind of pained sadness she felt guilty for. She'd been avoiding anyone she could lately, not just him, but it clearly affected him greatly.

She stared back at him blankly. She didn't have the words that morning and watched as a bead of water fell from his hair onto the floor. He'd catch a cold if he stayed in this cold hallway soaking wet. He still hadn't explained _why_ he was wet, but that could wait.

"Let's get something warm to drink and we can talk," she suggested, wanting to leave the cold of the sixth floor anyway.

He seemed surprised at the offer, but agreed anyway. She looked down at the watch on her left wrist 6:43, still too early for breakfast in the Great Hall, but the Kitchens were always open. She would show him that she really had no bad intentions by avoiding him this week, she'd let him in on the secret.

"Follow me," she said with a wicked grin, taking his free hand and leading him through the castle. They made small talk along the way and when they arrived in the hall with various portraits of foodstuffs she instructed him to close his eyes, lest she be forced to blindfold him. Not questioning the request, he complied. Athena tickled the pear on the painting near the end of the hall and turned the knob that appeared, allowing the portrait to swing open.

"Now, keep your eyes closed and walk forward," Athena directed the Hufflepuff.

This time he seemed skeptical, "how do I know you won't walk me into a wall or down a flight of stairs?"

"Ced, c'mon. Trust me."

"If I do," he said tentatively, "will you do something for me?"

She agreed, hurrying him along. When they were both finally inside, Athena let the portrait swing shut behind them. "One more condition," Athena recited, "you can't ask me how I know."

"Know about what?" he wondered, as his ears perked up at the different sounds coming from the clanging pots and pans, house elves yelling at each other, and foods sizzling as they cooked. She finally told him to open his eyes, and when he did he nearly dropped the golden egg he'd been cradling under his arm. Taking advantage of his dumbstruck silence, she tugged his arm in the direction of the wooden table she often found herself at in the mornings before class.

He placed the golden egg in a chair next to him across the small table from Athena. Before he could ask her anything, her favorite big-eyed. floppy-eared house elf jogged over to the table. The excitable creature took joy in seeing that Athena was accompanied by a friend and skipped away, promising to bring back as many goodies as his little body could carry.

Cedric was amused, surprised, and dumbfounded. "I wonder what other secrets you're keeping from me," he joked while taking in the enormous Kitchens. Athena couldn't help the panicked nervous energy that trickled down the back of her throat and pooled like lava in her chest. She was keeping a lot from him, but he didn't really need to know that.

She giggled nervously, "like what?"

"Like who is taking you to the ball tomorrow?" He looked sad, hurt even that she hadn't told him. He'd obviously heard through the grapevine that she had a date, but didn't know she was only telling people that as an excuse. She told him just that.

"It was easier than telling them I wasn't going," she reasoned, not looking at Cedric's face. She couldn't explain why, but she feared what his reaction might be. Dobby had just come back with plates of breakfast foods: eggs, sausages, ham, bacon, toast, pastries, and two mugs full of hot cocoa. She thanked him and let him scamper off. She grabbed a piece of bacon and shoved it in her mouth.

"Heard you were going with that Ravenclaw, Chang," she mumbled between bites still avoiding his face.

"Yeah, I am. I heard what you did to her." Athena swallowed hard, raising her eyes slowly to see Cedric's confused expression as he analyzed her.

"Self-defense," she muttered under her breath. He was angry with her. What did he expect her to do? Just take being attacked from behind quietly? Let some snotty fifth year get her way? Athena didn't think so, she readied herself in the defensive, prepared to verbally spar with Cedric if it came down to it. Then, he did something she wasn't expecting, he leaned back in his chair and laughed. It wasn't in a mocking way, it sounded almost relieved?

"Glad you find me attacking your date amusing." Athena smiled herself. Then Cedric, turned his eyes on her, a semi-crazed look in them.

"I only asked her to go with me because I thought _you_ were going with someone else!"

She coughed and spluttered on her bite of bacon, not expecting the information he just gave her. Cedric wanted to go to the ball with her? It was making sense now. The way he looked at her in the sixth floor, how sad he seemed when he mentioned she'd been avoiding him – how could she be so thick?

"Oh, Ced, I'm so sorry - I didn't realize – but I don't have a dress – I feel terrible!" Hindsight is always 20/20. She probably should have told him she wasn't going to go to the ball, it would've saved both of them a lot of confusion. A small part of her felt victorious knowing that he really wanted to take her, not the obnoxious leader of his fan club.

Now that they'd cleared the air over the Yule Ball confusion, their conversation flowed freely while they enjoyed their breakfast. They talked and laughed as if nothing had happened between them. Athena finally felt the need to point out the elephant, the golden egg, in the room.

"So, have you figured it out?" Athena pointed to the egg sitting in the chair.

Cedric looked happy at first, but his smile dissipated for a moment before returning full force as he looked at Athena. "You're good at riddles, yeah?"

She shrugged, "not really, I just guess."

"Oh please, I saw you help that Ravenclaw firstie earlier, you're brilliant," he chided. Cedric went on to explain that when he first opened the egg, a frightening screech erupted from it. He'd gone to Mad-Eye Moody, wondering if a creature or a spell could produce such a sound, without telling him it was for the Tournament, but instead an assignment for Care of Magical Creatures. Moody was cleverer than Cedric expected, and suggested he open the egg underwater. That's why he was wet when he found her on the sixth floor that morning, he'd been in the prefect's bathroom with the egg trying to figure out his clue for the Second Task!

"And?" she urged him to continue.

"And, it sings!" He grinned widely, "I think it's a mermaid song, but there's a riddle in it that I could use your help solving."

He thought about it for a minute and felt an odd sensation in her brain. _Help him_ , she heard the voice of her older self from the dream she had nearly a month ago cry from the depths of her subconscious. Him? She thought the "him" was Harry, but what if it was Cedric? Damn her dream-self for not being specific. She would help him regardless, whether Cedric or Harry was the "him", she didn't care. She would help both of them. She had to.

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long, working on the next one too. Should be up soon. Enjoy!**


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